Under A Moonlit Sky
by xXx Tinkies xXx
Summary: She never imagined falling in love. He never thought he'd love again. But when their growing friendship turns into something more, and others try to tear them apart, will their love for each other be strong enough to survive?
1. A New Start

**Disclaimer: **I DO NOT OWN "Harvest Moon" or any of it's characters!

**Chapter 1: "A New Start"**

_Celia, Spring 2..._

The journey up the mountain was somewhat bearable, thanks to the cool refreshing morning Spring air. What Celia _couldn't _stand was the uncomfortable silence between herself and the older man, Zack, who'd volunteered to help carry some of her heavier luggage once she stepped off of the small ferry earlier. Once in a great while, he'd point out some of the various plants and flowers that grew within that region, most of which she was already familiar with, but that was about it.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the two finally reached halfway up Mother's Hill. Off to the left of the dirt path was a small clearing in which a quaint little cottage sat, bordered by the surrounding forest. Unlike the other homes she'd seen while passing through the Mineral Town Village, which were constructed of brick or large logs, her new home looked like it'd been quickly slapped together with stucco and slabs of withered wood. Yet by the appearance of the faded green wooden shutters that adorned all of the windows and the scraggily-looking wooden shingles that made up the roof, she could easily tell though that the cottage had seen through many years of the mountain's harsh seasons and would probably outlast many more to come. Also, off to the side of the cottage was a storm-cellar door, which led down to the basement.

"Well, here we are!" Zack announced in a relieved tone as he set the items that he'd been carrying down onto the dewy grass. "Ain't nothing much to the place," He dryly commented, retrieving a red handkerchief from out of the back of his dirt-stained jeans and then wiped his sweated forehead with it. "But the scenery and peacefulness up here make up for that, I think."

Celia smiled pleasantly, liking the idea that nobody would be around much to bother her.

After showing her where the shipping bin was located, which happened to be right near where they were standing, he then explained how she could place produce and such that she wanted to sell in the bin and once a week, he would drop by to pick up the items and immediately pay her for them. After that, he wished her good luck and started making his journey back down the mountainside.

Leaving her luggage behind for the moment, Celia grinned as she practically ran for the front door to the cottage, excited for the fact that for the very first time in her life, she had a place all to herself. And it hadn't been cheap either. She'd spent nearly all of her hard-earned money to pay for the ownership of her new home, with barely anything left over to buy any food. But in her reasonable mind, it was totally worth it.

Retrieving an antique brass key from within the front of her apron's pocket, she unlocked the creaking door and stepped inside. The first thing she noticed about the place was that, unlike the outside of the cottage, the interior was in much better shape. From ceiling to floor was entirely made up of wooden planks, all coated with a protective glossy finish. The overall floor-plan was open and simple. The kitchen and tiny dining area were off to the left of the front door, while the living room area was off to the right, complete with a small fireplace that served as the main heating element for hot water and warming the entire home in the wintertime. To the very back of the cottage were three rooms; a bedroom, spare room and small bathroom. Gratefully, the previous owners had left behind some of their old furniture and commodities for her to claim and use now.

Going over and observing the vacant bookshelf that was situated near the fireplace, she noticed that it was quite dusty. _'I suppose I should start cleaning awhile before I officially settle in.'_ She mentally announced, with a determined grin as she briskly made her way over to the kitchen to find some cleaning supplies.

* * *

_Many hours later…_

Sighing tiredly yet feeling content, Celia peeled off her dirtied dress and then carefully lowered herself into the deep, steamy bathtub. The hot water almost immediately made her achy muscles feel soothed and relaxed. _'Nothing like taking a nice, long hot bath after a busy day!' _She thought, smiling lazily as she closed her chestnut colored eyes and sank further down into the water. The chirping of the nightly crickets outside and other sounds from the forests' creatures calmed her immensely as she started reflecting back to her accomplishments that day. The entire cottage had been thoroughly swept, dusted, scrubbed and mopped until not a trace of dirt was visible anymore. All the bed linens, blankets and curtains had been hand-washed with an old-fashioned scrubbing board, then were later hung outside left to dry overnight on a makeshift clothesline. She even managed to haul in about a dozen or so pieces of pre-chopped wood for the fireplace before the sun officially set.

Although she was too humble to say it aloud, she felt really proud of herself.

With the exception of her late grandparents, everyone else always thought of her as a weak, timid girl who didn't know much and couldn't handle hard, laborious work. On the contrary, she'd been taught at a very early age how to take care of livestock and tend the many crops on her grandparents' farm. Her grandfather taught her survival skills, like how to scavenge for food and medicinal plants out in the wilderness, as well as how to fish. Her grandmother on the other hand taught her home-life skills, such as cooking, cleaning, sewing and knitting. She also taught her in the arts of candle-making and how to make remedy teas.

When her grandparents coincidentally died together in their sleep one day, their farm had been sold, leaving Celia to fend for herself. With nowhere to go, she traveled to Forget-Me-Not Valley and luckily found work and a place to stay with an arduous woman named Vesta, who ran a vegetable farm with her younger brother, Marlin.

It seemed like no matter how hard she worked, Vesta always criticized her, especially whenever any of the other villagers were around, making her feel embarrassed and useless. The woman also kept persisting for her to marry her gruff brother, whom was six year older than she. Plus, there was the fact that he acted odd, in a sort of creepy way. He would always stare at her whenever she was out working in the fields and mostly shadowed her around, never once saying a word to her. There were also a few times where he followed her into town, glaring at everyone she talked with, whether it was a man, woman or even a child.

Deciding that she'd had enough with her hounding boss and her stalker-of-a-brother, she took a leap-of-faith on an ad that her best friend, Lumina showed her about a run-down cottage for sale in Mineral Town. She had called the Mayor that very night and made financial arrangements, then hopped the ferry two days later to escape her misery.

Now here she was, a grown twenty-six year old independent woman starting a new life in a new town. Sure, it was a little depressing being alone and all. But she could always make friends with the town's villagers!

Mentally shaking all the rest of her thoughts and worries from her mind, Celia quickly shampooed her long, chocolate brown hair and cleansed her body before the water got too cool. After toweling herself dry, she then slipped on her favorite blue cotton nightgown then made her way into the living room, where the fire that she'd started earlier had already made the area feel nice and cozy.

Curling herself upon the nearby worn brown leather couch, she covered herself with a country-patterned afghan that her grandmother had knitted for her several years ago, and tiredly gazed at the dying flames flickering within the fireplace. Tomorrow morning, she decided, she'd clear some land for the vegetables that she was going to grow, then go foraging out in the forest for some food so that she wouldn't starve to death.

If she had any time afterwards, she'd spend the rest of her savings on ordering plant seeds, _hoping _that by the end of the season she could sell all of the crops to make a good profit. Maybe even purchase some animals, too!

With those last determined thoughts, Celia happily drifted off to sleep.

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	2. Heartache

**Chapter 2: "Heartache"**

_Gray, Spring 5..._

"Now look what you've done! That crooked blade won't cut through _anything_!" Cried the old Blacksmith, Saibara who stared incredulously at the tool that his grandson was currently working on. "After everything I've taught you, you _still _don't know how to properly forge a blade! I swear, you're a poor excuse of an apprentice!"

Continuing to pound his work hammer upon the axe's heated blade, Gray just simply tuned-out his grandfather's belittling rant. After all, he was pretty much used to it by now. No matter how hard he worked, the old man never praised him. Instead, he'd point out every little mistake or imperfection and constantly complain about it.

As his mumbling grandfather paced around the shop, he set the tools off to the side for a moment and stepped away from the scolding-hot coal stove. Sweat was literally pouring down his soot-streaked face and his clothes were almost entirely soaked, clinging to his well-formed body. Removing his favorite faded blue cap atop his head, he raked his hand through his bronze colored hair and sighed.

"What do you think you're doing, boy?!" Saibara exclaimed in a frustrated tone. "That axe isn't going to finish itself, you know!"

Gray exaggerated an annoyed sigh. "Can't a guy take a moment to catch his breath?!" He smartly retorted, stomping back over to where his supplies were and started resuming with his task in an aggressive manner.

Saibara snorted and crossed his arms. "Why, when I was your age I _never_ took a break! In fact, I still don't!" He proclaimed in a prideful manner. "You're just lazy!"

"Can-it, old man! I'm trying to work here!" Gray exclaimed in annoyance, while hammering away.

"Well, at the pace _you're_ going, Jack won't be getting his axe back until next week!" Saibara smartly stated, frowning.

At the mention of the name _'Jack'_, Gray's blood instantly began to boil. His once-annoyed facial features turned angry, making his blue eyes seem more menacing now. "Fine then!" He angrily hollered, slamming his tools down onto the table and briskly strode towards the door. "Since I can't do anything right, _you_ finish the damn thing!"

With that last statement, he exited his grandfather's shop, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

_8:30 PM…_

After a cold shower and a long nap, Gray had finally calmed down somewhat. Although he wasn't as angry as he'd been earlier that day, he still felt annoyed. His heart ached and overall, he felt like crap.

Throwing on a pair of worn jeans and a T-shirt, Gray shuffled his way out of the Inn's second floor bedroom and descended down the flight of stairs. He noticed that the usual customer's were at the bar tonight; Duke, Basil, Harris, Jeff, Karen and Rick. Country music played from a nearby radio, creating a relaxed, fun environment. For _them_ at least.

Picking a lone stool that was far away from the others, he plopped down at the bar counte and mumbled his order to Ann, who cheerfully skipped into the back kitchen to prepare his meal.

"Rough day again?" Doug inquired in a monotone voice, while drying a freshly cleaned beer mug with a dish towel. "Want the usual, correct?"

Gray just grunted his response as the bartender filled the mug up full of amber-colored ale, then handed it over to him. About a minute later, Ann emerged from the kitchen and set a plate of hot wings down for him as well.

As he slowly consumed his meal, his thoughts unwillingly plagued him. A couple of months ago, his life wasn't so bad. Of course, his grandfather still had yelled at him, but not as much as he did now. But that wasn't the major thing that was on his mind.

It was about Mary, the woman he loved. The sweet, intelligent girl who worked at the library had stolen his heart. She was the only person in the village who seemed to understand him and saw through his rough exterior. Whenever he visited her, they would talk for hours about the books they've read and about life in general. On many occasions, he tried to tell her how he felt about her, but only managed to give small complements instead.

Then one day, _Jack_ showed up. He was the new farmer in town, restoring his grandfather's old farm at the time. He was a hard worker and an overall good guy. All the women in town seemed to be enamored with his good looks and all the men respected him.

Gray had nothing against Jack at first. Hell, the two of them were even sort of friends! Last winter, they went to the lake cave to go mining for ore together!

But then one day, when Gray finally had the courage to tell Mary about his feelings, he was crushed to learn that she was in love with Jack and that they were getting married.

Ever since that day, he hadn't talked to either of them and had no intentions of doing so ever again.

Signaling for another beer, Gray pushed his empty plate aside and sighed. _'What's the point staying in a town where you're unappreciated and unloved? There's nothing for me here.' _He mentally reasoned, ignoring the sounds of merry laughter behind him. _'Besides, I can't live at the Inn for the rest of my life. Maybe I should go back to the city…?'_

Just then, the front door to the Inn opened, followed by happy greetings. Knowing who it was without even turning around to see, Gray quickly downed his second beer and ordered another one, all the while trying to suppress the anger and depression that threatened to consume him.

"Well, that's _great_ news!" Duke loudly announced in an overly cheerful tone, while laughing. "Congratulations, Jack!"

Having caught everyone else's attention, including Gray, Karen was the first to voice her curiosity. "What's the heck are you yelling about?" She inquired with an amused frown.

"Didn't you _hear_?" Duke happily exclaimed with a chuckle. "Mary's pregnant!"

At that very moment, Gray suddenly went numb. Physically, emotionally and mentally _numb_. It felt as though somebody ripped his heart out and left him to die as those two little words kept repeating in his head.

As the others congratulated Jack with becoming a father, Gray quickly slipped by unnoticed, heading up to the second floor, all the while pulling his hat down further over his face to hide the tears of pain that glistened within his grief-stricken eyes.

_**Please Review!**_


	3. The Goddess Festival

**Chapter 3: "The Goddess Festival"**

_Celia, Spring 8..._

So far, a full week had gone by since Celia had first arrived to Mineral Town. She managed to accomplish all of her goals so far and then some. She planted several different crops such as cabbage, turnips, potatoes and cucumbers in the plots that she'd cleared for them.

As far as food was concerned, she'd been able to gather enough bamboo shoots and blue grass from the wilderness to hold her off for another couple of days before having to go out and search for more. And she'd been lucky enough to catch a few brown trout from the nearby mountain stream, too.

With the spare time that she had in the evenings, she gathered the bountiful bunches of Moondrop and Toy flowers that surrounded her cottage. Once they had been properly dried, she set to work with preparing them to be made into tea, which could be sold later for a good price. She also did this with some of the blue grass as well, which turned out to be a very good healing remedy tea.

Having just finished her breakfast, which consisted of boiled bamboo shoots, Celia was just about to wash her plate in the kitchen sink when a knock suddenly came upon the front door. Wondering who on earth would be at her house so early in the morning, she briskly made her way over and peeked outside, only to find Mayor Thomas standing before her with a huge smile upon his chubby cheeks.

"Good morning, Miss Celia!" Mayor Thomas happily exclaimed. "How are you this wonderful morning?"

"Just fine, thank you." She quietly replied with a smile. "So, what brings you all the way up here, Mayor?"

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that the Goddess Festival starts today around noontime at Rose Square," He politely informed. "Are you familiar at all with this festivity?"

Celia nodded. "Yes. The village I grew up in also celebrated this tradition as well." She replied. "But I suppose it's too late for me to participate with the other girls, right?"

The Mayor frowned. "I'm afraid so," He sadly stated, but then became cheerful once again. "But you're still welcome to attend if you have the time!"

She hesitated for a split second. "All right." She replied with a small smile.

"Great!" He exclaimed, while starting to walk away. "See you then!"

After waving good-bye to the Mayor, Celia stepped back inside. _'Well, I suppose I should get ready awhile…'_ She mentally trailed off, feeling a little nervous as she made her way to the bedroom to change out of her dull work dress. After taking a few minutes going through all of her clothes, she finally decided on wearing a short-sleeved plaid green dress with a crème colored apron. Her outfit was simple and plain, but it was the only decent garment she owned.

Once she slipped the dress and her brown moccasin-styled shoes on, she grabbed a large faded yellow handkerchief and tied her hair back with it, letting a couple of loose strands of bangs frame the sides of her face. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she headed towards the door, but hesitated upon seeing the basket full of freshly packed teabags lying nearby.

After a momentary internal battle, she finally made up her mind and grabbed the basket on her way out.

* * *

Rose Square was bustling with activity by the time Celia arrived. Nearly all of the villagers were there, happily chatting away with one another or helping with preparing for the dance later on. Beautiful decorations of fresh flowers and colorful paper streamers were strung around just about everywhere, and banquet-styled tables were set up as well, displaying delicious food and yummy-looking desserts.

Feeling awkward and nervous, she just stood right where she was. Even though she liked talking to people, she always lacked the courage to start a random conversation, especially with a bunch of strangers.

"Hello there!" A male's cheerful voice suddenly announced behind her. "You must be the new girl that everyone's talking about!"

Feeling slightly startled, Celia turned around and found a man wearing a large-brimmed brown hat and green traveler's clothes standing beside a woman, who was wearing a crème colored dress with green trimming.

"Sorry for startling you like that!" The woman apologetically replied with a smile. "My husband can be a bit too jovial at times." She then extended a hand out. "I'm Anna and this is Basil."

Celia smiled and shook both of their hands, feeling a little less nervous now. "I'm Celia." She politely replied. "It's nice to meet the both of you."

Noticing the young woman's basket, Anna's eyes lit up. "Excuse me for prying, but are those homemade tea bags?" She curiously inquired, pointing to the said contents.

Feeling her cheeks warm, Celia nodded. "Yes," She modestly replied. "You're more than welcomed to take a few, if you'd like." She originally was going to sell the teas, but decided that it would be a nice gesture to just give them to her new neighbors as a sort of _'Hello, I'm new here'_ gift.

After telling Anna the different types of tea that she had, she also explained a little bit about herself and what she wanted to do in that town.

"Well, that's wonderful!" Basil happily exclaimed.

"What's wonderful, dad?" Another female's timid voice piped in.

They all turned to see a young woman with glasses, about Celia's age, with braided dark brown hair and wearing a festive flowing white dress. Standing next to her was a young man, also their age, wearing a white T-shirt with blue overalls and a matching backwards blue hat.

Anna proudly introduced the young couple as her daughter, Mary, who was the librarian at the town's Library, and her husband, Jack, who ran a successful farm. The two had been married last Fall and were expecting their first child in a few of months.

After chatting for a few more minutes, a couple of other people stopped over to introduce themselves and chit-chat, as well as taking a few samples of tea. She found out about all of the shops and activities that took place within the town, and a little bit of information about every individual as well. She also discovered that, besides Mary & Jack, there were only four other girls and five guys around her age that lived in the village. Everyone else, with the exception of two eight year-old children, were over the age of forty.

After awhile, Mayor Thomas finally announced that it was officially time to start the Goddess Festival. All of the spectators quickly stood off to the sides as folk music started playing, to which the five girls begin their Goddess Dance.

Continuing to watch the show, Celia backed up a few steps to stand near the bushes, but suddenly collided back against somebody, causing them to grunt. Gasping in surprise, she immediately spun around. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She quickly apologized as she stared down at the ground in shame, feeling her cheeks turning warm from embarrassment. "I should've watched where I was going! Are you all right?"

"…Don't worry about it." The guy mumbled in a low, irritated tone.

Looking up, Celia found herself face to face with the guy she bumped into. He looked to be about her age with beautiful blue eyes and bronze colored hair, hidden underneath a dark blue hat. He also wore a tan mechanic's jumpsuit, which seemed to be streaked with dirt here and there. But despite his current appearance and the slight scowl upon his rugged face, only one thought formed within her frazzled mind; _'He's so handsome…'_

"…What's the matter?" The guy awkwardly replied, quirking a curious eyebrow.

Mentally shaking herself out of her stupor, Celia shyly smiled. "I, uh, forgot to introduce myself," She lamely started out, mentally kicking herself for sounding so pathetic. "My name's Celia. I just moved here about a week ago."

The guy frowned in confusion for a moment. "Oh." He bluntly replied, looking slightly uncomfortable for some reason. "I'm Gray."

A few awkwardly silent seconds passed before Celia softly cleared her throat, feeling like a nervous wreck on the inside. "So," She nervously started, clutching the empty basket behind her. "Um, what do you do here? In the village, I mean."

Gray pulled the rim of his hat down over his face a little more as he looked away. "I work at my grandfather's Blacksmith shop," He all but practically mumbled. "Which I need to get back to now."

Celia blinked. "Oh." She quietly murmured, feeling dumbstruck as she watched as Gray started walking away. "Well, see you around."

It sounded like he mumbled something back as he continued to walk away, but the music was so loud that she couldn't really tell. Feeling a slight pang of hurt, she sighed and turned around to watch the rest of the show. _'It seemed like he was bothered by something. ...Was it something I said?' _She mentally debated, not really paying attention to the dancers.

The sounds of clapping and cheering suddenly brought Celia out of her troubled thoughts. Looking around, she noticed that the girls had just ended their dance. _'Well, I can't let just one person ruin my mood!'_ She mentally stated, smiling as more music started playing and people were lining up to get some food at the buffet tables. _'Festivals are supposed to be happy occasions anyway!'_ She concluded, feeling cheerful again as she made her way over to where the cookies and cakes were.

_**Please review!**_


	4. Gossip Girls

**Sorry for the long delay! Just a future note: updates will be slow, due to life in general, so please be kind! Although I **_**have**_** started working on chapter 5 already… Anyway, a big **_**THANK YOU **_**to everyone that has reviewed so far! I really appreciate all comments, suggestions & questions! Please review!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: "Gossip Girls"**

_Celia, Spring 20..._

A couple of weeks passed since the Goddess Festival. By now, Celia knew everyone in town and made friends with a couple of them, such as Lillia, Barley, May, Gotz, Ellen, Basil, Anna and Pastor Carter. But she considered Ann and Karen her new best friends. Since having a regular schedule now, the three of them would hang out at least once a week for _'girl time'_, which included many random things, thanks to Karen and her wild nature. But for the most part, lunch and afternoon tea was always guaranteed.

And today was one of those days.

Carefully jogging along the slick cobblestones that led to the Inn, Celia quickly entered the building, thankful that she was finally out of the downpour. _'Ugh, the rain sucks!' _She sourly thought as she shrugged out of her yellow raincoat and proceeded to hang it on the nearby coat rack.

"You look about as miserable as a cat that just got a bath!" Ann exclaimed with a chuckle, having just come from the kitchen carrying a small tray that held three teacups and a piping hot teakettle.

"Yeah, well _you_ try running all the way down here in the rain once," Celia defended with a playful smile, her mood already changing. "See how happy _you_ feel afterwards!"

"Oh, shut it you two!" Karen suddenly exclaimed sarcastically from behind the bar counter, holding three wine glasses and a fine bottle of imported white zinfandel.

"Karen, it's too _early _to start drinking!" Ann whined with a frown as she started helping Celia with setting up one of the tables.

"Not for me it isn't, honey!" Karen shot back triumphantly, skipping over to the other two. "Besides, alcohol warms you up better than tea will on a day like this!"

Celia and Karen both chuckled as they watched Ann pout and make her way back into the kitchen again, all the while grumbling under her breath. Karen then carefully waved the bottle of wine in front of Celia's face. "Want some?" She sang with a devilish grin. "I know you do!"

"Just a half a glass," Celia stated with a sigh, taking a seat at the table. "I don't want to hurt Ann's feelings by not drinking any of the tea she made us."

Karen rolled her eyes as she proceeded to fill two glasses. "You're always _so_ considerate!" She exaggerated with an annoyed snort, acting very much like a spoiled child at the moment.

Before Celia could respond, Ann made her way back to the table with a large tray full of food. "Chow time, ladies!" She happily announced, while passing around plates of different sandwiches, curry and cheesecake.

"Good Goddess, Ann!" Celia exclaimed in surprise, feeling her stomach grumble from hunger. "You've made enough to eat for an entire _army_ to consume!"

Ann blushed. "Well, I'm just so used to cooking a lot all the time…" She trailed off in embarrassment, absentmindedly playing with the end of her long braid. "Besides, with Karen's appetite, we'll surely have no leftovers!"

"Hey! Are you calling me a fatty?!" Karen playfully inquired in between mouthfuls of food, then quickly changed the subject. "Wow, this curry is pretty damn good!" She paused as a devilish smirk suddenly crossed her features. "This is the stuff you make for Cliff all of the time, isn't it?"

Ann's blush turned even redder. "N-no! I-I mean yes, but…" She stuttered in embarrassment, taking a bite of her sandwich.

Karen laughed. "You _so_ totally like him, I know it! Just admit it already!" She pointed out, stuffing more food down. "Hell, you even _sound _like him right now!"

Celia chuckled. "Aww, come on Karen leave her alone." She lightly chastised, shooting a sympathetic look to Ann. "She never teases about you and Rick!"

"There's nothing to say." Karen simply stated. "We're already an item."

Ann frowned and crossed her arms. "Yeah, well _I_ never say anything about all of the midnight rendezvous _stuff_ you two _do_ in the midst of the town square, or the beach, or--"

"I'm not ashamed of having _sex_ out in public, so any teasing would be pointless. Besides, the rush you get is super awesome!" Karen haughtily remarked with a proud grin. "You and Cliff should try it sometime! That is, whenever you have the guts to go jump his junk of course."

Celia exaggerated a sigh. "You know, this conversation _always_ comes up every week between you two. It's getting a little monotonous." She remarked, eating a mouthful of curry and decided to change the subject. "Seriously, this curry is wonderful, Ann."

Ann and Karen both shared a look before suddenly grinning mischievously.

"Well, _excuse _us little Miss Innocent! You never hear _us_ teasing _you_ about _your_ love life!" Karen teased as she took a swig of wine. "Maybe we ought to start throwing _you_ into the mix! Spice things up for a change, huh?"

"Yeah!" Ann piped in agreement.

"You mean about my non-existent love life?" Celia offered with an amused expression. "Nice try, girls."

At that moment, the front door to the Inn opened, followed by the soaking wet figures of Gray and Cliff, who both started heading for the stairs.

"Hey guys!" Ann called out to the duo as she started blushing upon seeing Cliff, who just stuttered a quick _'hello'_, while Gray mumbled something under his breath.

The girls remained unusually quiet, even after the guys disappeared upstairs. Taking advantage of the awkward moment, Ann decided to clear some of the empty dishes away, while Karen got up to go use the restroom.

Downing the rest of her wine, Celia leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes, listening to the steady sounds of the rain pelting the ground outside. An empty feeling had swept over her when she stated the obvious fact about not having a boyfriend. She didn't know why, but it did. Maybe it was the fact that everyone around her already _had_ somebody or else was pursuing them, like in Ann's case. Maybe she felt a little left out with not having anything to really talk about other than material things and farming.

She sighed.

Okay, so maybe living all alone up on a mountain _did_ make her feel lonely sometimes, but she had friends now, right? And two of them were totally different from each other, yet very dear to her. Almost like sisters in fact.

Besides, all the men in this town were taken anyway, right? And _love_ was _not_ the sole reason why she came to the village in the first place. Independence was her drive.

Not that she was desperate or anything, but maybe someday in the future the Goddess would bestow her with someone special? But until then, she was fine with the way things were in her life now.

The image of Gray suddenly popped into her mind, catching her off-guard. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't really seen much of him since the Goddess Festival. Was it because he was always working? Or maybe he traveled a lot to the mainland? Whatever the case, people rarely ever mentioned him. And why did he always look like he was upset about something? And why the _hell_ was she suddenly thinking about someone she hardly knew?!

Karen suddenly made her way back to the table. "What's with the spacey look?" She curiously questioned, plopping back down into her seat and pouring more wine into her glass.

Before she could stop herself, Celia's curious mind got the better of her. "What's up with Gray?" She blurted out, feeling her cheeks grow warm from embarrassment. "I mean, I rarely ever see him around."

Taken aback in surprise, Karen's expression went from curious to pitiful. "Oh, he works all the time. And when he's not working, he's either hiding away up in his room or else sulking at the bar." She stated with a sympathetic sigh. "Poor guy."

"Who's poor?" Ann suddenly exclaimed, sliding back into her chair with a questionable expression.

Karen sighed, rolling her eyes. "A hobo is, nitwit." She bluntly replied, before speaking in a lower tone. "We're talking about Gray…"

"Huh?" Ann dumbly replied, but as Karen's words finally suck in, recognition crossed her features. "Ohhh…"

Celia stared at her two friends expectantly, waiting for an answer. Obviously, something dramatic must've taken place for them to be acting all hush-hush about it. And even though she knew it was rude and none of her business to pry into other people's lives, her curious side won her over.

Karen softly cleared her throat. "Okay. To make a long story short, Elli, who's best friends with Mary, told me that Gray told Mary that he loved her, but she didn't love him back. And then a few weeks later, Jack proposed to Mary and well, you can pretty much figure out the rest." She quietly informed. "Ever since then, he's been pretty much a wreck. Although, I don't see how he hasn't gotten over her yet. It's literally been months."

"Well, from what Cliff told me, he still loves her." Ann quietly added. "And he thinks that maybe he still has a chance with her."

Karen quirked an eyebrow at her. "He actually said that?" She asked in disbelief.

Ann shrugged. "He said that Gray was really hammered that night when he told him all of this." She plainly replied.

Celia slowly processed all of the information. _'No wonder he always looks depressed.' _She mentally concluded, wishing that she could somehow help him get through his pain. She personally never experienced heartbreak before, for the mere fact that she'd never been involved in a romantic situation before, and couldn't even fathom what it must feel like to be rejected by the one you love.

Upon hearing Ann's father yelling for her from within the kitchen, Ann quickly scrambled up out of her chair. "Well, it's been fun girls, but I have to get back to work." She announced while gathering up the rest of the plates.

"Me too." Karen piped in, lazily stretching and stifling a yawn. "I promised dad that I'd help stock the store before closing time."

Making her way over to retrieve her rain coat, Celia sighed. "Well, I guess I'll see you two later then." She remarked, internally dreading the walk back up the rainy, muddy mountain.

As she waved goodbye to her two friends and stepped outside, she couldn't help the tad bit of loneliness that swept over her, along with the many thoughts that were running through her head. Mainly about a certain, broken-hearted blacksmith…

**End of Chapter 4!**


	5. Breakdown

**Chapter 5: "Breakdown"**

_Gray, Spring 25..._

"Hey man, slow down!" Cliff worriedly announced as he watched his best friend quickly down yet another pint of beer. "You're going to make yourself sick if you keep doing that."

Gray rolled his eyes and frowned. "Who are you now, my mother?" He smartly retorted, signaling Doug for another beer. "I know what I'm doing. Besides, I have off tomorrow. If I get hung over--which I _won't_--, I'll have a whole day to recuperate."

Cliff frowned. "I just--" He cut himself off mid-sentence and just shook his head. He knew for a fact that it was pointless in trying to tell him what he was doing wasn't healthy. Drinking yourself stupid _every night _wasn't good for your body. Binge drinking was even _worse_.

Sighing in defeat, he turned his attention elsewhere. The bar was _packed _tonight for some reason. Almost every male in town, with the exception of Karen, was there. Most of them were currently involved in a serious poker game taking place over at one of the corner tables, gambling away their hard-earned gold pieces.

"What do you mean I can't have any more?!" Gray suddenly barked, startling the brunette. Upon turning back around, he noticed that his friend looked absolutely _livid _with the bartender, who appeared to be angry himself yet maintained his cool.

"You've had your limit here," Doug sternly stated in a calm demeanor. "I'm sorry son, but I can't serve you any more alcohol tonight."

Gray glared at the older man, feeling his face flare up. An idea suddenly popped into his hazy mind. "Fine. I'll order a bottle of wine _**to go **_then!" He smartly shot back, digging out his wallet and then slapped some money down onto the bar counter. As soon as his purchase had been handed over to him, he hastily got up from off of his bar stool and drunkenly marched towards the door, until someone suddenly grabbed a firm hold of his shoulder and stopped him.

"Dude, you can't keep doing this to yourself!" Cliff blurted out in a pleading manner, trying to keep his voice out of earshot from the others. "You have to let her go!"

Gray angrily clenched his fists. "Don't tell me what to do!" He maliciously seethed through gritted teeth. A second later though, a defeated look washed over him as he spoke in a depressingly low tone. "I _can't _let her go. I love her."

"She's a married woman now," Cliff cautiously reminded with a concerned look upon his face. "She and Jack are about to become a family. You _have _to move on with your life."

Gray was silent for a moment. "…I know." He quietly admitted while opening the door. Without looking back at his friend, he spoke. "Take my advice; tell Ann before it's too late. Don't end up like me."

Too stunned to say anything, Cliff just silently watched as his friend calmly exited the building, letting his words sink in.

* * *

_Later that night…_

Exaggerating a tired sigh, Celia flopped onto her back and glared up at the ceiling. She'd been tossing and turning in bed for _hours _trying to get comfortable, but to no avail. _'This is ridiculous!' _She mentally exclaimed in annoyance as she kicked the covers from off of her and climbed out of bed. Shuffling over to the closet, she grabbed her robe and a pair of flip-flops and then slipped them on. _'Maybe a little walk will help.' _She decided, making her way out of the house.

It was relatively nice outside. Not too cool, but not too warm. Just the right temperature for her. The sky was so clear that you could see all of the twinkling stars, and the bright glow of the full moon lit her way along the mountain path. She couldn't help but smile at the wondrous beauty that the night had bestowed upon her. It was slightly eerie, especially since she was all by herself, but very calming and peaceful.

Approaching Mother's Peak, she suddenly spotted a silhouetted figure sitting upon the rocky ground. She was startled at first, but then reminded herself that there was no reason to be afraid of anyone in Mineral Town. They were all harmless, loving people. But that didn't mean she was still skeptical. After all, why would anyone from the village venture all the way up here in the middle of the night?

Hesitantly making her way over to the person, she was surprised to find that it was none other than Gray. "Hey there, stranger." She nervously greeted, vaguely aware of the empty wine bottle that was lying a few feet behind him.

He slowly looked up at her and frowned, squinting his eyes in confusion. "M-Mary?" He quietly questioned, looking hopeful. But the second he realized that it wasn't his love, his expression fell. "Oh, it's you." He dully slurred in slight annoyance. "What do you want?"

Taken aback by his rude manner, she had the urge to get smart with him, but quickly reminded herself that he appeared to be drunk. "Nothing. Just thought I'd say hello, since I saw you sitting up here." She replied in a friendly manner, sitting down beside him.

He warily shifted away from her. "Did Cliff send you or something?" He accused in annoyance, eyeing her with distrust. "I don't need a damn pity party, all right?! I just want everyone to leave me alone!"

Celia frowned, feeling her patience being tested. "What are you talking about?" She questioned in confusion. "I decided to go out for a walk. Nobody sent me here to find you. In fact, I didn't talk to _anybody _today, with the exception of you."

Gray blinked. "…Oh." He mumbled, looking away with a frown.

After calming down, she then nervously bit her lip. She knew for a fact that he wasn't in a very stable mood right now, but she couldn't hold back the urge to want to help him any longer. She decided to press her luck. "…Are you all right?" She hesitantly asked in an innocent tone.

He snorted. "Does it look like I am?" He shot back in bitter sarcasm.

She inwardly flinched, but stood her ground. "Do you… want to talk about it?" She quietly offered. "I don't mind listening."

"No." He smartly huffed, scrambling up from off of the ground. "You're just like every other _nosy_ person anyway, so just mind your own damn business!"

Patience lost, Celia stood with her hands upon her hips and glared. "You don't even know me! How can you even say that?!" She angrily defended, watching as Gray started stumbling away.

"Piss off!" He sourly grumbled without a care in the world. As he took another wobbly step forward, he accidentally tripped on the empty wine bottle and unceremoniously face-planted right onto the ground. _Hard_.

Gasping in surprise, Celia just stood there feeling stunned. If it were a different situation, she would have laughed. But this was no laughing matter. In fact, the drunken Blacksmith wasn't even moving. "Gray?" She called out in worry, hesitantly approaching his sprawled-out figure, noticing that his shoulders were shaking slightly. "Gray?" She asked again, much softer this time. "Are you hurt? Please say something!"

That's when it all came out.

"I'm a fucking failure!" He choked out through a strained voice. "No wonder Mary doesn't love me! I can't do anything right! I work so damn hard and Gramps doesn't even appreciate all the shit I do for him!" He paused in his quivering rant to let out a few muffled hysterical sobs that he couldn't hold back any longer.

Immediately, Celia was right down at his side, gently holding onto him as she softly rubbed his back in a comforting manner. She didn't speak or even make a sound as the distressed man continued to pour his wretched heart out to her. He continued to ramble on about his love for the librarian, his disagreements with Saibara and everything else that had bothered him over the years. When he had finally finished, he yelled as loud as he could to let the anguish out. At that point, she whispered words of support and comfort, telling him that she would be there for him no matter what. He rudely shrugged her away and made to stand, but the quick motion must've upset his head and stomach, therefore resulted in him doubling over, gagging and puking his guts out.

Stepping back to give him some breathing room, Celia waited until he was finished before calmly helping him to his feet, then started carefully guiding him down Mother's Peak.

* * *

_The next morning…_

Groaning in pain, Gray's hands shot up to his throbbing temples. His head hurt so bad that it was almost unbearable to move. He tried to swallow, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't and coughed instead. He then vaguely caught a whiff of stale alcohol and puke, which made him crinkle his nose in disgust. Even more so when he realized that the awful combined smell was coming from _him_. Hesitantly cracking an eye open, he was immediately confused as to where he was. He saw that he was lying on a couch in someone's house that he'd never been to before. Someone also had been kind enough to remove his muddy boots and cover him with a blanket as well. Frowning in confusion, he stared up at the ceiling and tried to remember what had happened the night before. When it finally did, he let out a string of silent curses, mentally damning himself for being so stupid.

The high-pitched whistling sound from a nearby teakettle suddenly made him freeze. _'Shit!'_ He mentally cursed, trying to kick the blanket from off of him. But the jerky movement only caused more sharp pains to shoot through his head, therefore causing him to cease his antics and groan again in pain. Too caught up in his physical misery, he failed to hear the approaching footsteps until the person was standing before him and uttered a quiet _'good morning'_. Cautiously opening his eyes again, he saw Celia taking a seat on the edge of the wooden coffee table in front of him. Embarrassment engulfed his entire being as he looked anywhere except for her.

"How are you feeling?" She quietly asked in a concerned tone, evidently worried by the expression upon her face.

He sighed. "Like shit…" He hoarsely mumbled, still unable to look in her direction.

"Drink this," She lightly commanded, handing over a steaming mug full of herbal remedy tea. "It tastes bad, but it'll help with your hangover."

Gratefully taking the mug, he took a tiny sip before almost gagging. It tasted downright _awful_. But choosing to trust in what the woman proclaimed, he held his breath as he quickly downed the liquid. He then handed back the empty mug and sighed. "Um… I'm really sorry about last night," He quietly muttered in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have said the things I did, and I'm sorry you had to put up with my bullshit."

Celia shook her head. "Don't apologize." She softly stated. "I understand and take no offense. I swear."

Gray snorted. "I acted like a jackass…" He mumbled with a frown, finally sparing a glance over at her.

She smiled. "We _all _embarrass ourselves every now and then, Gray." She remarked in light humor. "It's inevitable."

His cheeks reddened as he carefully picked himself up from off of the couch. "Uh, I have to go…" He mumbled, his eyes frantically searching for the front door.

"Would you like something to eat before you go?" She kindly offered, quickly standing and walking after him.

The thought of food instantly made him grimace. "No thanks." He quietly declined, opening the door and stepping out into the fresh morning air. He had to immediately shield his eyes though because of how bright the rising sun's rays were.

"Listen, Gray…" She called out, but hesitated as she bit her lip nervously. "If you ever need someone to talk to or vent, just know that I'm here for you, okay? I promise I won't say anything to anybody, either. Not even about last night, too."

He shifted uncomfortably as he stared down at the ground for a moment, letting her words sink in. "…Thanks." He finally mumbled, somewhat smiling in relief as he finally found the courage to look up at her again.

She smiled and gave a nod. "Take care." She sincerely replied, watching as he walked away, heading back towards town.


	6. Getting To Know You

**Here's a nice long, over-due chapter! Reviews are greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: "Getting To Know You"**

* * *

_Celia, Spring 27…_

It was a lovely morning. The birds were singing, the sun was shining brightly and the weather was almost too perfect. It was one of those days where you could just sit under a tree and read or lounge all day, enjoying Mother Nature and her beauty. But not today--for Celia at least. She was on a mission.

Humming a pleasant tune to herself, Celia casually strolled towards her first destination: the Blacksmith Shop. It had been two days after the ordeal with Gray, so she figured she'd stop by to see how he was doing and hopefully cheer him up a bit. From what she could tell about him already, she knew that he was a strong, stubborn person--both physically and mentally. But he also hid his feelings and problems deep inside, which ultimately led to his very emotional outburst that night. To say that she was still a little concerned about his well-being was an understatement. She just wanted to help him in any way she could, because that was just the type of person she was.

Seeing the _"Open" _sign posted on the front door, she hesitated a moment, feeling unusually nervous for some odd reason, before letting herself in.

The shop was small and stifling. Tools of all trades were either hanging off of hooks that were posted on the stone walls or else displayed on wooden shelves near the front counter. Sounds of loud metal _'clanging' _could be heard coming from the back somewhere as well. Craning her head in curiosity to see what all the commotion was about, she suddenly froze in shock upon seeing a half-naked Gray working on some kind of tool. The fire from the nearby industrial coal stove illuminated his well-sculpted upper body, making him look like a mighty God of some sorts…

"Can I help you Miss?" A gruff but kind voice suddenly announced.

Startled, she jumped in surprise before turning to see Saibara now standing behind the counter with a questionable, yet amused expression upon his bearded old face. "Oh! Um, h-hello!" She stuttered, feeling her cheeks warm in embarrassment as she tried to mentally compose herself.

"You here to purchase a tool today?" He inquired while taking a sip of coffee from the large mug he held. "Or have one specially forged perhaps?"

"Not today, sir." She meekly replied, feeling awkward as she clutched the basket of goodies she carried behind her back. "I just came by to drop something off for Gray, actually."

Saibara grinned with a mischievous glint shining within his dull-blue eyes. "Well, how very kind of you!" He exclaimed, sounding unusually cheerful. "I'll let him know you're here…"

She internally panicked. "Oh, no that's all right! I don't want to bother--"

"Hey boy! Get on out here!" The old man loudly interrupted. "There's a visitor here to see you!"

After overhearing a few grumbled curses coming from the back, Celia watched as Gray stalked towards the front of the shop, oblivious to her presence. She simply couldn't help herself as her eyes quickly roamed over his manly figure in slight awe as sweat glistened off his broad shoulders, all the way down across his toned abs. She also noticed that he wasn't wearing his hat for once either, which enabled her to get a good look at his handsome face even more.

"What'd you say, old man?" He grumbled in annoyance with a scowl upon his sweaty, soot-streaked face. But the second he approached the counter and saw that his grandfather wasn't alone, he froze in surprise.

The second their eyes held each other's gaze, Celia suddenly forgot how to breathe. Her nerves were going haywire, ranging from nervousness to embarrassment. She could feel her face over-heating probably redder than a tomato and mentally prayed to the Goddess that both men assumed that it was because of the abnormally high temperature within the shop. Quicker than a jumping rabbit, she bashfully lowered her gaze to the floor, softly biting her lower lip. "Hello, Gray." She quietly greeted, unable to meet his eyes again.

"…Hey." He awkwardly replied, scratching the back of his head, still feeling somewhat surprised and confused. "Uh… What are you doing here?"

Saibara suddenly smacked him upside his head, frowning in disapproval. "That's no way to talk to a lady, boy!" He rudely chastised, ignoring his grandson's hissed curse. "She's come all the way down here to give you something and you don't even know how to greet her properly?!"

"Well, what the hell else am I supposed to say?!" Gray shot back in defiance, glaring over at his grandfather while tenderly rubbing where he just got struck.

Feeling even more awkward now, Celia frowned in concern. "I didn't mean to interrupt your work," She quickly blurted out, not wanting their argument to escalate over such a petty matter. "I just dropped by to give you this…" At that point, she handed Gray the cloth-covered basket that she'd been carrying with her. Inside was a fresh-baked loaf of bread and a jar of freshly harvested honey. Too embarrassed to stay any longer, she quickly made her way towards the door. "Well, I've got some errands to run now!" She announced with a smile, giving the men a short wave. "See you two later!"

And with that, she was out the door in a flash.

* * *

'_Oh my Goddess, what is _wrong _with me today?!' _Celia mentally chastised herself as she briskly marched along the cobblestone path, having just passed AJA Winery. Her heart was pounding and her entire body felt flushed, along with her already inflamed cheeks. _'Here I am, trying to make friends and cheer up a guy who's going through a rough patch in his life, and I'm practically _ogling _him instead!' _She couldn't help but feel guilty and embarrassed with herself, even though the other part of her rational mind reassured her that what she'd done wasn't necessarily _wrong_. She was, after all, only human.

Before she knew it, she'd arrived at her second destination for the day: the Mayor's house. Immediately shaking all of the bothersome thoughts from her mind for the moment, she tentatively rapped upon the front door. After waiting for about a minute, the enthusiastic appearance of Harris, the local and _only _policeman of the village, greeted her. "Well, hello there Miss Celia!" He cheerfully announced. "What can I do for you on this fine day?"

She smiled pleasantly. "Hello Harris," She replied. "Is Mayor Thomas in? I need to speak with him, if that's all right."

"Sure! Just go right on in!" He exclaimed, tipping his cap to her slightly as he stepped aside for her. "Well, if you'll excuse me now, I'm off to patrol the village!" And with that, he casually strode away heading towards Rose Square while happily whistling.

Upon entering the Mayor's home, her senses picked up on the faint scent of cherry flavored pipe tobacco smoke, which greatly reminded her of her late grandfather. The interior of the home had very nice, expensive-looking hardwood flooring and was tastefully decorated with antiques and china plates, as well as an old grandfather clock.

"Ah, hello there! Have a seat!" Mayor Thomas cheerfully greeted, placing the book he'd been reading down onto the end table beside the recliner in which he was seated in. "How are things going up in the mountains?"

Celia smiled as she sat down on the nearby loveseat. "Good!" She happily replied. "In fact, that's the main reason why I'm here today." When she noticed that Mayor Thomas was waiting for her to speak, she continued. "I was wondering if I could have permission to clear away some of the land near my home to build a small barn and chicken coop."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm… Selling more animal products _should _bring in more commercialization and benefits for the village and _possibly _new residents…" He mumbled to himself, but then quickly smiled. "Sure! There shouldn't be any major problems with endangering the local wildlife if only a _small _portion of the forest is excavated." He cheerfully replied. "Just hire Gotz to do the work. He'll know what to do!"

"Oh, thank you so much!" She excitedly exclaimed, feeling like she was just going burst with happiness with finally being able to fulfill her dreams of having her own little farm.

"Well now, you must be the new resident I've heard so much about but haven't formally met yet." A smooth, sophisticated voice announced from the doorway into the kitchen. Looking over, Celia noticed that it was a tall man with dark wavy black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a white long-sleeved dress shirt, covered with a black vest and also matching slacks.

"Celia, I'd like you to meet Kano. He's been a family friend ever since he and Harris were just young lads." The Mayor warmly introduced.

Kano smiled as he casually made his way over to her. "I'm also a nationally-known professional photographer." He lightly added with a slight smirk, extending his hand out to her.

"It's nice to meet you." Celia politely replied, forcing somewhat of a smile as Kano suavely kissed the back of her hand after briefly shaking it.

Seemingly pleased with the whole situation, the Mayor smiled even more. "I have a splendid idea!" He eagerly suggested. "Why don't the two of you go have lunch together over at the Inn? That way, you two can get to know each other!"

Celia blushed in embarrassment, feeling surprised and a little irritated. "Um… well, you see--"

"Sounds good to me." Kano contentedly replied with a smile, unknowingly interrupting her. "I'm feeling quite famished anyway."

"Well then," Mayor Thomas announced as he quickly shuffled the two out the door. "Have a good time, kids!"

* * *

_Sometime later…_

After a rather awkward and uncomfortable lunch with Kano, Celia was more than relieved when their time together ended. Almost immediately after Ann _(who kept shooting her curious looks)_ cleared their dessert plates, she had quickly thanked him for lunch and stated that she had some work to get back to. Thinking nothing of it, he once again kissed the back of her hand _(to her dislike)_ before parting ways.

Overall, he seemed like a good person. A little pompous, but nice. All he mostly talked about was photography-related things and his past traveling experiences. And he also _deeply _expressed his wants of starting a family soon. With the fact that he kept flirting, giving small compliments and staring at her when he thought that she wasn't paying attention, let her know that he probably wanted to start that family of his with _her_.

'_Not happening, buster. At least not with __**you**__.' _She mentally remarked, trying to stop the involuntary shudder that snaked up her back. _'Besides,'_ She reasoned to herself. _'He's a lot older than me and we have nothing in common with each other. It would be a lose-lose situation.'_

She suddenly found herself standing along the bank of the stream next to the hot spring, staring up at the cascading waterfall. Finding the sight beautiful and very peaceful sounding, she plopped down onto the grass and smiled. Absentmindedly picking a small flower that had been growing nearby, she twirled it between her fingers for a few seconds before lightly tossing it into the flowing water, forgetting all about her recent troubling dilemma. _'I'm so glad I decided to move here! I feel so happy; so complete.' _She thoughtfully mused. _'Well, _almost _complete. It feels like there's something missing though…'_

Giving up on trying to think about what that empty-like feeling was, she closed her eyes and fell back onto the grass with her hands behind her head, letting the warm sun wash over her face.

"Celia?" A deep voice suddenly questioned nearby.

Blinking tiredly, she slowly sat up and found Gray standing just outside of the nearby mine entrance. "Oh, hey Gray." She pleasantly replied with a lazy smile upon her face, feeling her heart beating faster all of a sudden. "I didn't know you mined ores?"

"Yeah," He replied with a ghost of a smirk upon his dirty face as he started making his way over to her. "We use them to make the tools and stuff at the shop."

She blinked, feeling suddenly stupid. "Oh, right." She mumbled in embarrassment, watching as he sat down near her, placing a bulky rucksack next to him. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. They just silently stared at the flowing stream before them.

"Um, thanks for the stuff you gave me earlier." He shyly thanked as he awkwardly adjusted his hat.

She blushed. "You're welcome." She quietly replied, smiling shyly. "I hope the bread was soft enough. I kind of over-baked it this morning, so I apologize if it didn't taste too good."

"No, it was really good--especially with the honey." He reassured with a slight smile. "I ate the whole thing for lunch today."

She giggled a bit. "Well, I'm glad you liked it!" She exclaimed with a smile, absentmindedly looking down at the ground beside her, where she noticed something red glimmering in the sunlight. Reaching down to pick it up, she noticed that it looked like a gemstone. "Is this yours?" She then curiously asked, observing the small treasure. "What is it? A ruby?"

"Yeah." He bluntly remarked as his cheeks started turning slight pink. "It must've fell out of my bag."

She handed over the ruby to him. "Wow, I didn't know there were gemstones like _that _in the mines here!" She exclaimed in surprise. "Do you and your Grandfather sell things like this at the shop too?"

"Yeah. I mean, no. Well, sort of…" He stuttered, obviously uncomfortable with the topic. "We sell specially-made jewelry out of the Orichalc ores, but that's about it." He hesitated for a moment, as if deciding on something, and then sighed. "I sell the gemstones I find in my spare time. I don't get much money for them though--at least not right now. It's kind of hard to shape the stones with the tools down at the shop 'cause they're not _for _that type of work. I tried talking Gramps into getting some of the equipment used for shaping gems, but he thinks it's a waste of time. And money."

Celia frowned. "But that would be a wise investment, wouldn't it?" She contemplated. "So what if it's expensive? You'll be making double the profit in the long-run once you sell the good gems, which would make up for buying the equipment needed."

He chuckled and then stared at her. "That's _exactly _what _I_ said, too!" He exclaimed with a genuine smile upon his face. "So, that's why I've been saving up some money on the side, so I can get the equipment I need on my own. Although it's gonna be awhile before _that _happens." He paused for a moment. "I mean I like being a Blacksmith and all, but it doesn't hurt to have a little extra cash coming in on the side, am I right?"

She nodded. "There's nothing wrong with that at all! In fact, it sounds like a really good plan!" She exclaimed in encouragement as she stared at Gray and smiled. "If I had the type of skills you have, I'd do the same thing! But all I'm good at is farming and stuff. But that's okay, 'cause I really like doing what I do!"

He smiled. "So, you're a farm girl, huh?" He asked, sounding a bit sarcastic. "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you don't look like the type of person to be doing that type of work. I mean, you're too pret--uh… I don't know. Never mind." He looked away as his cheeks started getting redder, while awkwardly adjusting his hat again.

Oblivious to his almost-compliment, she just smiled in pride. "I've always been a _farm girl _at heart! I've been doing it since I was a kid, so to me it's just a normal way of life." She boasted with a giggle. "In fact, I'm supposed to be heading over to Gotz's house to ask him to clear away some land for me so he can build me a barn and stuff!"

Seemingly to have composed himself, Gray slightly smirked. "That's cool." He complimented, while watching her stand up from off of the ground.

"Well, I hate to leave," She started to say with a slight frown. "But I'd better be off before he closes up shop for the day."

Gray nodded. "You gotta do, what you gotta do." He simply stated with a smile.

Suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh I almost forgot!" She exclaimed. "Are you participating in the Swimming Festival in a few days?"

He frowned while scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah. Gramps is kind of making me." He stated in annoyance. "He said something about it being good to participate in the village's festivals once in awhile. But I don't really care, though. I'm not much of a social person anyway."

"Well, I'll be there cheering you on from the sidelines, so you _have _to go!" She playfully remarked with a smile as she started walking away. "Well, see you later!"

"Hey Celia?" Gray suddenly blurted out, making her stop and turn around again. "If you ever need help doing your farm thing, just let me know and I'll help out, all right?"

Swarms of magical butterflies seemed to have suddenly started dancing in her lower belly as she felt her face considerably heat up. "All right." She shyly replied with a bashful smile. "Thanks Gray. I really appreciate it!"

He nodded. "Don't mention it." He stated with a smile. "I'll see you at the Swimming Festival, okay?"

"Okay." She quietly replied, still smiling as she practically floated off towards Gotz's house, feeling nothing but warmth and happiness.


	7. The Swimming Festival

**Chapter 7: "The Swimming Festival"**

_Summer 1..._

Upon hearing the echoing sound of a hammer pounding nails into wooden planks outside, Celia peered out of her kitchen window and watched as Gotz continued to work on constructing her barn. She had been surprised to see him and Zack the morning after she had made her request, chopping down trees and clearing the area out behind her house. So far, the tiny chicken coop had already been built, which could hold up to two chickens. A nice little fence had been built around the structure as well, so the chickens could go outside whenever they felt like it and still be safe. Because of the small amount of money she had left, Gotz told her he could only build a barn big enough for three animals, including the fenced-in pasture for them. She assured him that it was completely fine. After all, she didn't want to take on more than she could handle. She wanted to make sure that she could give each animal the love and attention they deserved, as well as have time to tend to her crops.

'_I'm going to have to bake him a cake or something.'_ She mentally decided as she sipped her tea. When she woke up this morning, she was astounded to find him working out there. Today was a holiday and _nobody _in the village apparently worked on holidays.

Glancing over at the clock on the wall, she noticed that it was almost nine-thirty. _'Crap! I'd better get moving or I'll miss the start of the festival!'_ She mentally panicked as she quickly made her way towards the bedroom. Since the weather drastically changed _(literally overnight) _from pleasant to hot, she changed into a tank top, pair of shorts and slipped on her flip-flops. After brushing her hair up into a ponytail, she dashed out of the house and started heading down towards town.

* * *

Twenty or so minutes later, Celia found herself standing on the hot sandy beach amongst the other swimsuit-clad villagers. Mostly everyone was talking about the current festivities or commenting on the weather, while some of the younger villagers _(like Stu & May) _splashed in the cool waves nearby.

A hand suddenly clapped her on the back, which startled her. "Hey girl!" Karen's energetically loud voice announced from behind her. "Where's your swimsuit, huh?"

Turning around to face her friend, she noticed that she was wearing a white & black stringed bikini, along with a stylish pair of sunglasses. "Oh, I don't have one." She simply stated with a slight smile, shielding her eyes from the bright sun as she noticed Ann now approaching them as well. She saw that she was wearing short blue floral-print girlie surf shorts and a matching bikini top.

"You're not participating in the race _either_?" Ann inquired with a slight frown, propping one hand upon her hip in an exaggerating manner.

She shook her head. "Sorry. Maybe next year though?" She replied with a slight frown. "Besides, I'm not the world's best swimmer--especially when it comes to swimming in the ocean."

Ann nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean!" She replied. "I'm always afraid that some big mean shark will grab me out there and have me for lunch!"

The three girls giggled.

"Well anyway," Karen started, facing Celia. "I'll have to give you one of my spare bikini's. There's just _no way _you're missing out on tanning with us this summer!"

"We'd better make sure that _Kano _isn't around here first, right?" Ann quietly teased with a smirk, playfully elbowing the farmer. "He might loose his mind seeing you half-naked and all!"

Celia instantly blushed in embarrassment and turned away slightly. "Oh please!" She irritably scoffed, having nothing else to shoot back with.

"Yeah, Ann told me _all _about your little _lunch date _with him!" Karen chimed in, also smirking. "He seems like an arrogant, chauvinistic male--maybe not as much as Kai, but still one nonetheless!"

"Who's Kai?" Celia curiously inquired.

"Oh, he's the guy that runs the snack shop over there," Karen replied, pointing to the little building where a darkly tanned guy, wearing a purple bandana, their age was handing over snow cones to Stu & May. "He only comes here during the summer. He's a little flirtatious sometimes, but he's an overall nice guy. Rick seems to be the only one that hates his guts though. Especially since he hooked up with his little sister, Popuri last summer."

At that moment, all three girls noticed that Cliff and Gray were starting to make their way over to them. They were both clad in surfer trunks and tank tops.

"Hey guys!" Ann cheerfully exclaimed, waving to them. "You two ready for the race?"

Cliff shyly smiled, sporting a faint blush upon his cheeks as he stood beside the red-head. "Yeah…" He plainly replied, looking down slightly.

"Uh-oh, looks like my Honey-Buns needs some help, so I'll catch up with you guys in a little bit!" Karen suddenly remarked, jogging over to the dock where Rick was currently wrestling with a tangled net of buoys.

Celia couldn't help but chuckle to herself, watching in the distance as the blonde and her boyfriend started untangling the mess with little success. Feeling a sudden presence beside her, she looked over to find Gray smirking down at her and instantly blushed. "Hi there!" She happily greeted, feeling her heart pounding away in her chest as she smiled up at him. "You have your victory speech ready for when the race is over?"

Gray chuckled and smirked even more. "Oh you know it." He playfully remarked, casting a quick glance off to the side. His good mood seemed to instantly dwindle though as he started fidgeting with his hat and turned to face the ocean without another word.

Wondering what caused the sudden mood change, Celia looked over to where he'd been looking and discovered that Jack and Mary had finally arrived at the beach. She saw that the farmer was happily chatting away with some of the competing villagers as his wife, whom was sporting a cute little baby bump now, was talking with her mother and Elli. An instant feeling of agitation coursed through her, which momentarily startled her. _'Why am I feeling like this? Those two have done nothing wrong to me!'_ She mentally stated in defiance, trying to push the sour feelings aside. _'But their very presence is bothering _Gray_. And _that's _what's bothering _you_.'_ The other reasonable half argued back. Looking back over at Gray, she saw him discreetly glancing over at Mary a couple of times, which suddenly caused a new set of emotions to course through her. _'Why should I be jealous? It's not like we're together or anything. We're just friends…' _She reminded, but couldn't stop the unfamiliar pang of hurt she felt.

"Hey, are you all right?" Ann suddenly questioned with a concerned look upon her face, glancing between her friend and the Blacksmith in confusion.

Celia plastered a reassuring smile upon her face. "Oh, I'm fine! It's just the heat of the sun getting to me!" She lied as she started heading over to one of the beach umbrellas to sit down under. "Good luck, guys!" She then called over her shoulder, never noticing that Gray was watching her retreating form.

* * *

Having vaguely noticed the difference in Celia's cheerful tone, Gray absently wondered if it really _was _the sun bothering her or not, yet having no clue as to what could be the matter. To his surprise, he felt somewhat concerned all of a sudden, but directed his attention to Cliff as soon as he heard his friend say his name.

"They're just about to begin the race! We'd better get over to the starting line!" Cliff announced, as his eyes shone with excitement and nervousness.

"Okay." He mumbled, turning to look over at Celia and Ann once more, who were both now situated under the beach umbrella giving him and Cliff the _'thumbs-up' _sign and smiling. After giving a quick nod to acknowledge them, he followed his pony-tailed friend over to where the other competitors were, which all happened to be males. He noticed that besides him and Cliff, there were five others competing in the race: Harris, Doctor Trent, Kano, Jack and Kai. He knew that out of everyone participating, Jack and Kai were his only _real _competition.

"Okay everybody, get into your starting positions!" Mayor Thomas loudly announced over the talking and cheering of the other villagers.

Seeing that the only open spot was right next to _Jack_, Gray internally cringed when he took his place right next to the farmer. It's not that he didn't really _like _the guy or anything, but he still couldn't help the somewhat of a stubborn grudge against him from wooing the girl he loved away from him.

"Hey man! Long time no see, huh?" Jack cheerfully greeted with a friendly smile upon his face.

Unable to hide his annoyance, Gray snorted. "Been busy and stuff…" He mumbled, turning away with a frown upon his face.

Oblivious to the Blacksmith's cold attitude, Jack just innocently chuckled while nervously scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, me too!" He exclaimed. "I just upgraded my barn and now have _twice _as many animals to take care of!"

'_Would one of the new livestock happen to be a _Jack_-ass by any chance?'_ Gray mentally joked, which caused him to grin and chuckle lowly to himself. "Good for you." He then dully mumbled, still privately grinning.

"Thanks!" Jack exclaimed, unaware. "Anyway, good luck!"

There was _no way _he was going to wish the stupid farmer _'good luck' _as well. This year, _he _was planning on whooping his sorry ass. "Thanks." He mumbled, just out of courtesy.

"All right gentleman! On your mark, get set…" Mayor Thomas exclaimed in excitement, then shouted: "_GO_!"

Immediately, all seven competitors dove into the ocean's salty water, trying to avoid the tumbling waves from knocking them under the surface. Determination set on his mind, Gray pushed himself harder than ever to swim and breathe simultaneously without getting too fatigued. His only concentration was on the red flag that Rick was waving around up ahead on the huge boulder out in the middle of the ocean. He tried tuning out the sounds of water splashing nearby, alerting him that Jack was closely near him. _'Stay focused! Only a few more yards to go…!'_ He mentally encouraged, getting closer to the finish line. Exerting the last of his strength, he clenched his eyes shut as he furiously paddled with everything he had… until the moment when one of his hands slapped out against the rock.

"Gray's the winner!" Rick shouted victoriously, jumping up and down like an excited school girl. "Followed by Jack in second place and Kai in third place!"

His eyes shot open wide in astonishment. _'I-I won?!'_ He mentally questioned in shock, barely registering the fact as the other competitors congratulated him on winning first place. _'Well, I'll be damned! I finally did it!'_ He couldn't help the prideful smile that graced his face as his best friend nearly tackled him down into the water.

"Way to go, man!" Cliff exclaimed in excitement. "Man, you should've seen yourself! You were practically tied with Jack the whole time until the end there, when you just took off like a bat out of hell! It was _awesome_!"

Gray laughed. "Thanks!" He pridefully replied as the two of them, along with everyone else, started swimming back towards the shore.

* * *

As soon as the guys made it back onto land, Celia practically made a bee-line towards a soaking wet Gray. "Congratulations! I just _knew _you were going to win!" She exclaimed, not thinking as she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed as he held onto her and spun them around in a circle. When he set her back down onto the sand, realization suddenly struck her and she quickly let go of him, looking down at her feet as her cheeks warmed in embarrassment. "Sorry, I-I didn't mean to--"

"It's okay," Gray interrupted with a huge grin upon his slightly flustered face, obviously a little embarrassed with himself as well.

"I have an idea!" Ann suddenly exclaimed, excited. "Let's go celebrate back at my place! Even though we're closed for today, my dad won't mind if only just a _few _of us are there!"

"Sounds good to me!" Karen exclaimed with a grin, jumping up onto Rick's back as the six of them started heading towards the Inn, unaware of a jealous figure glaring at the backs of the Blacksmith and female farmer…

* * *

"The drinks are on _me _tonight!" Gray exclaimed, slapping some of his prize money down onto the bar counter as he slid onto one of the bar stools next to Celia, who was seated at the end. Cliff was seated on the opposite side of him, followed by Rick and then Karen.

Situated behind the bar, playing _'bartender' _for the evening, Ann just smiled widely and shook her head. "Nope! Not tonight you aren't, _Champ_!" She exclaimed with a giggle, then whispered loud enough just so the others could barely hear her. "All drinks are on the house, got it? So long as none of you tell my dad of course."

"HELL _YEAH_!" Karen shouted victoriously, laughing like a madwomen as she reached across the bar and engulfed the red-head in a vice-like bear hug. "Did I ever tell you that you're the most awesome, coolest BFF in the entire _world_?!"

"Honey, I think you're suffocating her…" Rick gently pointed out, watching as the poor girl was frantically waving her arms about, trying to pry his girlfriend from off of her.

"Oops!" Karen apologetically exclaimed with a giggle, watching as her friend gasped for air before coughing. "Sorry 'bout that!"

After about another minute or two after the awkward situation, Ann started passing out the beer-filled frosted mugs to everyone except Karen, who wanted wine instead. They all chit-chatted with each other about odds and ends, until the second round of drinks were served. That's when Karen and Rick got up, turned on the radio and started goofily dancing with their drinks in hand while doing so. Cliff started talking _(surprisingly) _with Ann more, telling her about his past and hopes for the future, which of course involved _her_. Needless to say that after his somewhat confession to her, she was happy and speechless for the first time in her entire life.

Talking quietly to each other and laughing as they watched the dancing duo make fools of themselves, neither Gray nor Celia noticed or cared just how _close _they were to each other. From the way they were sitting, their knees were touching and they were leaning in so close that they were merely a foot away from each other's faces.

Asking Ann for another beer, Gray could already feel that he was starting to get a little tipsy, but it wasn't that bad. But for the first time in a very long time, he was feeling _good_. He wasn't feeling depressed or brooding over anything or _anyone_ for that matter. He was _actually _having a _good _time with his friends… and it felt wonderful.

Making some little comment about Rick's dance moves, Gray watched as Celia blurted out laughing, liking the way her voice sounded as she did so. It was like sweet music to his ears, as corny as that sounds, but it was true. In fact, there were lots of little things he was _just _starting to notice about her, and he wasn't _that _drunk to be led astray yet. He noticed the cute way her cheeks flushed whenever she laughed or when he smiled at her, and the way her eyes lit up when she talked about animals and plants. When he talked more about his hobby of mining for ores and gemstone, she seemed genuinely interested in listening to him. She was always patient, kind and caring towards him, no matter what. There was also the fact that she was downright pretty. And from sitting so close to her, she smelled good too. Like a combination of lavender and vanilla…

'_Oh Goddess…'_ He mentally realized, looking down at the bar counter while Ann started chatting away with her momentarily. His heart was racing and he felt almost giddy. This was a feeling he was already familiar with, but only _this _time it felt ten times stronger.

So, did the feelings, the _love _he supposedly had for Mary was nothing more than a huge crush then? Infatuation perhaps? Never before had the librarian invoked such strong emotions from him before, like he was feeling _now_. So what did that mean? And now that he _really _thought about it, what drew him to her in the first place? Her shy and intelligent mannerisms? Yes. But what else…?

He could think of nothing.

Watching as the two girls giggled over something that he hadn't heard, he couldn't help the small grin that suddenly graced his features. He truly felt that he could finally let Mary go and move on with his life. He knew that what he was starting to feel for Celia wasn't superficial or just a crush. Nor was it a sort of rebound effect, either. There was no doubt in his mind, whether he was drunk or sober…

He was starting to fall for Celia.


	8. Visitors

**Just wanted to say thank you to the following readers that have reviewed this story so far: "**XxMuzu-Muffins**", "**someoneudontknow5**", "****", and "**Kitty go moo**". Last but not least, a special **_**big **_**thanks to my constant reviewer, "**TheKiro**". Anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope everyone likes it!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: "Visitors"**

* * *

_Summer 11..._

"Here's your breakfast, girls!" Celia cheerfully sang as she poured some chicken feed into the little trough for her two baby chickens, Iris and Pansy. She giggled as she watched the two fluffy yellow chicks scurry over to the food and started pecking at the tiny grains. After making sure that they had enough fresh water, she then exited the pen and started heading over towards the barn.

The past couple of days had been very busy for her. The day after the barn had been built, she bought three animals from Barley: a cow _(named Rose)_, a sheep _(named Lily) _and a piglet _(named Pinky)_. Her baby chicks were given to her for free by Popuri, since she said that they simply had too many chickens already.

So taking care of five animals, plus tending her summer crops was very time-consuming. Not that she minded in the least, but she knew that she'd have to find a little time sooner or later to spend with Karen and Ann. They had dropped by the other day, complaining about missing out on their precious _'girl time' _as well as sun tanning down at the beach. But as far as _she _was concerned, she was already developing a nice farmer's tan from being outside most of the day anyway!

And there was the fact that her best friend, Lumina was arriving later today to spend two whole weeks with her. She'd gotten a letter a few days ago from the teenager, saying how much she missed her and wanted to spend some of the summer with her. So she wrote her back of course, and told her that it was fine.

But despite her somewhat busy life at the moment, she overall felt content with the way things were going.

Lightly scratching behind one of Rose's velvety ears, she picked up the animal brush lying nearby and then started working on grooming her cow's black & white coat. Rose happily mooed, which made Celia smile. "You're the most prettiest baby in the whole wide world, yes you are!" She cooed in delight, which earned her another happy moo.

"Wow, I didn't realize you thought of me in _that _way." A male's voice suddenly announced sarcastically from behind her. Abruptly turning around, Celia found none other than Gray standing in the barn's doorway, smirking at her. She noticed that he wasn't in his usual work attire, but instead dressed in a white tank top, a pair of worn jeans and boots. It made him look roughly handsome even more. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, you know!" She lightly chastised with a smile, shaking the brush at him. Her heart was pounded madly within her chest from just seeing him standing there. In fact, every time she even _thought _of him _(which was very often in fact)_, she couldn't help but feel giddy and lightheaded.

The day after the Swimming Festival, she finally came to terms with how she felt about him. It was more than just _wanting-to-be-his-friend _feelings. Not only was she attracted to him physically, but she was drawn to his unique personality as well. He was stubborn, yet sweet. A little shy, but didn't back down from anything. These were only _some _of the qualities she found endearing.

Unable to stop herself from blushing, she slowly went back to grooming Rose's coat, noticing that Gray was starting to walk over towards her. "So what brings you all the way up here?" She curiously asked, glancing over at him.

"I brought back your basket." He simply stated, shoving his hands down into his pants pockets. "I left it on your front porch step for now. Is that okay?"

She nodded, feeling surprised. "Yeah, that's fine. Thank you for returning it!" She exclaimed. "But you shouldn't have troubled yourself with trekking all the way up _here _just to give it _back_! It's your day off, isn't it? You should be down at the beach hanging out with Cliff or something!"

He shrugged. "Cliff's working and I'm not big fan of the beach anyway. It's too damn hot!" He replied, tugging his hat down a little more to cover his rising blush. "Besides, I wanted to visit you… and see how things were going with your animals and stuff."

Once again, Celia was surprised. _And _flattered. "O-Oh… w-well um," She nervously stuttered, almost dropping the brush as she clumsily pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "Well, let me introduce you to them…?" She then offered, trying to compose herself as she proudly showed off each of her new animals to him.

After coming back from the chicken pen, Gray chuckled. "What made you want to have a _pig _of all animals?" He then questioned with a playful smirk, still chuckling.

She mock pouted. "Because they're cute!" She playfully protested, going over to the tiny pink piglet and picking her up, delicately cradling her within her arms. "And pigs are very smart, too! They can find truffles and all different kinds of mushrooms, which can sell for a nice price might I add!"

"I guess I can see your point then…" He trailed off, going over to Rose and picking up the brush. "…You mind if I give this a try?" He then hesitantly asked, glancing over at the farmer with an eager expression.

She smiled, feeling butterflies fluttering within the pit of her stomach as she placed Pinky back down onto the ground. "Sure!" She exclaimed, going over to his side and then lightly placing her hand over his, the one in which he held the brush in. "Just gently stroke her coat like this," She instructed, moving their hands together along Rose's back. Her hand felt slightly clammy and tingly from the skin-on-skin contact, which caused her cheeks to warm even more. Much to her own disappointment, she willingly let go of his hand so that he could brush Rose himself.

After about another minute or two of silence--with the exception of Rose mooing, Gray chuckled. "This is pretty easy!" He proudly boasted with a grin, continuing his grooming ministrations.

Lily suddenly '_baa'd'_, which alerted Celia that her little sheep wanted some attention as well. "I'll be right back," She announced as she started heading out of the barn. "I'm going to check the basement to see if there's another animal brush lying around."

After reaching the side of the house, she went over to where the storm cellar doors were and then heaved them open. Carefully making her way down the steps, she felt along the wall for a light switch and once she found one, flicked the light on. This was the very first time since moving into her new home that she was able to check out the basement, and needless to say she was a little surprised at what she found. There were lots of random old tools lying around on a dust-covered work table nearby, along with some industrial equipment that she didn't recognize. A couple of wooden planks and crates were propped up against the wall and some old rickety dining chairs, including an antique rocking chair, were nearby as well.

'_There has to be a brush somewhere around here…' _She mentally debated as she ignored the mess for now and went over to the table and started moving around the tools, as well as searching underneath the table for anything that looked remotely like an animal brush. Moving aside a rusty metal toolbox, she accidentally knocked over a couple of tools from off of the bottom shelf, which resulted in a loud clanging ruckus.

Not even a moment later, Gray came flying down the steps with a worried look upon his handsome face. "What happened?! Are you all right?!" He quickly inquired, rushing over to her side and scanned for any visible injuries.

"Oh, I'm fine!" She quickly reassured, then slightly frowned. "I accidentally knocked over some stuff," She sighed. "I can't seem to find another brush _anywhere _down here!" After not hearing his reply, she curiously looked over and found him staring in shock at the dust-covered equipment. "…Is something wrong?" She then hesitantly asked in curiosity.

"This is…" He quietly trailed off as a ghost of a smile graced his features. "This is what I've been looking for!" He then exclaimed, sounding as happy as a child. "It's a faceting machine!"

"A _what_?" She inquired in confusion.

"A faceting machine," Gray repeated, still smiling as he eagerly checked the device. "You use it to shape gemstones. This one here is an older model, but it looks like it's in good shape still!"

As the Blacksmith continued to look over the piece of equipment, an idea suddenly struck Celia, causing her to smile. "Hey Gray? I have an awesome idea!" She happily proposed, waiting until he turned his attention to her before continuing. "How about if you help me clean up this basement, in return, you can come over here _anytime _you want to use that machine and everything? That way you don't have to spend all that money and buy one! Besides, I'll never use the thing anyway, so just consider it a… gift of sorts!"

His smile suddenly fell. "Are you… serious?" He quietly asked with a look of disbelief upon his face.

She laughed. "Of course I am!" She exclaimed, grinning. Her eyes suddenly widened in shock though as Gray unexpectedly reached out and firmly, yet gently engulfed her in a hug.

"…You don't know how much this means to me." He murmured against the side of her head as he continued to hold her. "Thank you, Celia."

The feel of his strong arms around her form and the fact that she was flush up against his well-formed chest caused a warm and tingly feeling to surge through her entire being. Being _this _close to him, she could smell his wonderful manly scent, which smelled faintly of spice and pine. "Y-You're welcome, Gray." She quietly stuttered, finally wrapping her arms around his back, holding him.

All too soon, their hug ended. They stepped slightly back away from each other, both looking deeply flushed as they smiled in embarrassment. After an awkward moment of silence, Celia finally spoke. "I guess we should get back to grooming the girls before they start protesting…" She shyly suggested, hesitantly making her way towards the stairs.

Gray nodded. "Okay." He plainly replied, following along right behind her.

* * *

After about an hour later when all of her daily chores were complete, Celia and Gray had started making their way back into town. She told him about her friend coming to visit her, so he agreed to go wait with her down at the ocean dock, since he had nothing else better to do.

As they stood there waiting, they talked about all different kinds of things, ranging from work to leisure activities, to what their favorite foods were and even a little bit about their families. They discovered _(to themselves at least) _that they _really _had a lot in common with each other after all.

Hearing the sudden sound of the ferry's horn in the short distance, Celia turned her full attention to the approaching boat, feeling utterly excited. Lumina was like a little sister to her, and she considered her part of the family, despite the fact that all of her existing relatives were deceased now. Whenever she felt down or stressed, her friend was always there to cheer her up, and vice-versa. So they had bonded tremendously in the two years that she'd lived in "Forget-Me-Not" Village.

As soon as the ferry docked, a petite brunette with sparkling blue eyes jumped off the side of the boat and started running down the dock. "CELIA!" She shouted in happiness as she crashed into the older woman, hugging her with all her might as if she would disappear at any given moment.

Celia laughed in delight. "It's great to see you too, Lumina!" She joyously exclaimed, holding the teenager back a bit to get a good look at her. "You've cut your hair shorter, I see! It looks cute like that!" She complemented with a grin.

Lumina blushed in embarrassment and smiled proudly. "Thanks!" She beamed. "Nana was against the idea, but I had Muffy cut it for me anyway!"

Celia chuckled. _'Still rebellious against her grandmother…'_ She mentally trailed off in amusement. She then suddenly gasped, remembering that she'd yet to introduce Gray to the young girl. "Lumina, I'd like for you to meet my very good friend, Gray." She then introduced, motioning to the man beside her. "He and his grandfather, Saibara are the local Blacksmiths here in this village."

Lumina's face became even redder as she politely shook his hand. "I-It's nice to meet you, sir." She formally replied, looking like a nervous schoolgirl at the moment.

Gray chuckled. "No need for the formalities, kid. Just call me Gray." He good-humouredly replied with a smile.

The teenager nervously giggled. "Okay…" She shyly trailed off, then gasped in realization. "Oh!" She suddenly exclaimed, looking back and forth between the older adults. "Are you two, like dating or something?" She then quickly leaned in close towards her friend. "He _is _the one you were referring to in the letter, right?"

"L-Lumina!" Celia exclaimed in shock, feeling her cheeks instantly flame up in embarrassment.

Even though Gray's cheeks currently matched the farmer's as well, he couldn't help the smug smirk that formed upon his face at the moment.

"LUMINA!" A deep male's voice suddenly called out in annoyance, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps making their way down the dock, which alerted the other three that another presence was making himself known. "You could help me with all of your _luggage_, you know!"

Looking past her best friend, Celia's eyes widened in complete shock as her body seemed to freeze up in disbelief. There, closing the distance between himself and the trio, staring intently at her form, was none other than _Marlin_.

* * *

**Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it just seemed like a really good place to stop for the moment! I **_**promise **_**to start working on the next chapter **_**immediately **_**and post it A.S.A.P.! **_**(Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks!)**_


	9. Jealousy

**Chapter 9: "Jealousy"**

* * *

"Sorry…" Lumina shamefully mumbled as she approached the older man and grabbed two of the smaller overnight bags from him, while he carried the remaining larger one.

With a frown, Marlin just snorted an agitated _'humph'_, before casting his eyes back to the female farmer. "Hello Celia," He lowly replied in a smooth tone, smiling somewhat. "It's good to see you."

Still feeling uncomfortable, _especially _now that he was standing only a few feet away from her, Celia unconsciously stepped inconspicuously closer to Gray. _So close _in fact that their bare arms were touching. "Hello Marlin," She quickly replied, forcing a small polite smile. _'What in the Goddess's good name is _**he **_doing here?!'_ She frantically thought, thinking back to Lumina's letter. Never once did she mention about _him _traveling along with her! _'I'll have to question her about that later.'_ She then decided as she casually looped her arm through Gray's, feeling him tense for a quick moment before surprisingly relaxing. "This is my very good friend, Gray," She then happily introduced with a large smile upon her face.

Sensing the awkward tension in the air, Gray couldn't help the suspicions that suddenly ran through his head. Was this guy, _Marlin _a former boyfriend of Celia's? Is that the reason why she was acting so clingy to him all of a sudden? Shaking other questions out of his mind, he proceeded to extend his hand out to shake hands with the new fellow, even though his sudden dislike for the man was starting to nag him. "Nice to meet you…" He gruffly mumbled, staring blankly at the taller male.

Marlin met his blank stare and for a moment, didn't say or do anything. Finally, he begrudgingly shook the Blacksmith's hand and mumbled an insincere _'hello' _as well.

"Um…" Lumina quietly spoke, sensing the tension between both men. "Is there a place around here that serves lunch?" She then asked. "I'm starving!"

Marlin scoffed in annoyance at the girl's remark, which earned him an unnoticed frown directed to him by Gray.

Not really paying attention, Celia smiled at her friend. "The Inn is just past the Square," She stated, pointing past the area where most of the festivals were held in. "Doug and Ann are the best cooks around! I'm sure you'll love anything you try there!"

Lumina giggled as she started lightly skipping off towards her next destination, with a grumbling Marlin following after her. "Well, then let's get going!" She enthusiastically proclaimed.

Just as Gray was about to step forward, Celia surprisingly held him back. When he looked down at her in confusion, she sighed. "I'm sorry." She quietly blurted out with a troubled expression upon her pretty face as she hesitantly let go of his arm. "I didn't mean to… manhandle you or anything like that. It's just… I… " She hesitated with another sigh. "I'm not really fond of Marlin. Quite frankly, he… bothers me."

Gray lightly snorted and frowned. "I can tell." He sarcastically joked. "And by the way, you didn't _manhandle _me, so don't worry about it."

She silently nodded.

"Why?" He then suddenly questioned in curiosity.

She looked lost for a minute and was about to ask him what he meant, but then realization struck her. "When I used to live back in Forget-Me-Not Village, I stayed with him and his older sister at their little farm, where I worked. He used to just follow me around and watch me a lot, like some sort of stalker…" She trailed off, involuntarily shuddering at remembering those unpleasant times. "Quite honestly, he creeps me out. And that's partially the reason why I left that village."

Unknowingly holding his breath the whole time she talked, Gray finally breathed fresh air back into his lungs, feeling only slightly relieved with what he'd just been told. He honestly thought that she was going to say that they _were _old flames or something like that. But on the other hand, knowing how much that _douche-bag _really bothered her was very unsettling to him. Especially with how she described the guy. His protective instincts suddenly kicked in full gear at that moment and he wanted nothing more than to just go up to the guy and knock him out for even just _looking _at her in the first place. But he forced himself to calm down, despite the protective anger he was feeling. "I thought you were going to say that he was an old boyfriend or something…" He sarcastically joked, trying to play it cool for now.

A horror-stricken expression crossed her face. "I'd rather eat _bugs _for all eternity than ever have _anything _to do with that man!" She quietly exclaimed in full seriousness, feeling appalled with just even _thinking _about that unity. "Speaking of which, I have absolutely no idea why he's here anyway! But I really wish that he'd leave!"

"You two coming or what?" Marlin suddenly called out in annoyance, standing in the middle of Rose Square, focusing his glare on the Blacksmith before resuming with making his way towards the Inn.

Turning his attention back to Celia, Gray stared intently into her eyes with a serious expression upon his face. "I promise I won't let him bother you." He quietly vowed, placing both of his hands reassuringly against her arms. "And if that _bastard _tries anything funny, I swear I'll kick his ass!"

She smiled in relief, feeling that warm and tingly sensation that only _he _could cause to happen every time he fully looked at her. "Thanks Gray. I really appreciate you looking out for me and everything." She sincerely replied, blushing.

Smiling that rare smile of his, he wordlessly offered her his arm again before the two started heading off towards the Inn.

* * *

Once again, Celia found herself having a _very _uncomfortable lunch at the Inn. By all means, it had nothing to do with the food either. The four of them were currently seated at one of the corner tables, finishing their sandwiches in awkward silence. Well, except for Lumina. She was too busy rambling on about all sorts of topics, whether it was to lighten up the mood or else just getting carried away like normal, hyper teenagers sometimes do. Meanwhile, Marlin kept _constantly _glaring over at Gray, who in return glared back. Although most of the time, he just flat-out ignored the older male.

As desperate as she was to get back home and _away _from a certain someone, she couldn't help but wonder _why _he was even there in the first place. "So Lumina," She calmly interrupted the teenager in mid-rant, clearing her throat in the process, which abruptly perked the attention of the two males as well. "Have you changed your mind about _'exploring-the-world-on-your-own'_ now? Is that why you had Marlin come with you?" She quoted with an innocent, playful smile, quoting the girl on what she'd written on her previous letter to her.

Lumina frowned. "No!" She immaturely scoffed while crossing her arms across her chest. "Nana _demanded _that I have an escort! She simply _refuses _to acknowledge the fact that I'm _eighteen _now and can do things on my own! And once she found out that Marlin was traveling here anyway to work for the summer, she _made _me go with him! She said it was safer to travel with someone, rather than go alone!"

"Well, your grandmother's right." Marlin smartly stated, taking a bite of his half-eaten sandwich and chewing loudly. "A kid _your _age doesn't know how to take care of themselves, let alone survive in the outside world."

Lumina said nothing as she cast her eyes down at the table, looking solemn.

Gray leaned back comfortably within his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and shrugged nonchalantly. "I moved out of my parents' home when I was seventeen and got by rather well on my own." He matter-of-factly stated, silently challenging the other male to make any sort of come-back remark.

Marlin glared in annoyance. "Maybe for you _country bumpkins _it's easy, but not for _city guys _like me." He retorted, smirking in a smug manner as he mirrored the Blacksmith's position. "You know how _hard _it is trying to get by living in the city? I didn't move out until I was in my late twenties! Hell, you'd probably never even survive _one _day there!"

Gray smirked wickedly. "I was born and raised in the city, so I _know _what it's like. Yeah, it was tough living on my own, but I got by just fine." He stated in a prideful manner, feeling his temper rising. "But that doesn't mean that _'country bumpkins' _don't have it tough out here either, so don't even go there, pal." He paused. "You work on a farm now, right? Well, what the hell do you do all day that _isn't _hard, huh? Sit on your lazy _ass_?"

At that moment, a red-faced Marlin scrambled up from out of his chair, pointing an accusing finger out towards him. "You don't know _anything _about me, so just shut your stupid mouth!" He angrily defended, breathing heavily from anger.

Still seated calmly within his chair, Gray just merely frowned at the other males' antics. "I know enough." He simply stated, internally praising his witty retorts.

Marlin was speechless for a moment, looking as if he was trying to think of something to say. Finally, he spoke. "Well, what the hell do _you _do here anyway?! Sit on _your _lazy ass?!" He mock exclaimed, looking somewhat triumphant.

Gray couldn't help but chuckle at his pathetic retort. "I'm a Blacksmith, _douche-bag_." He smartly replied with pride. "Why don't you come over to the shop one of these days and work a _real _man's job? Oh wait a minute. That requires you to actually get up off your _ass_, so I guess that's never gonna happen now, is it?"

"You little prick! I'll teach you…!" The other enraged male angrily exclaimed as he started stomping over to his taunting new enemy.

Having been too shocked by the whole insulting conversation to say anything, mental warning bells immediately started going off in Celia's head as she quickly scrambled up from out of her chair and stood protectively in front of Gray, who had by now also stood up as well. "Okay, that's enough you two!" She loudly chastised with a frown upon her face, even though on the inside she was feeling terrified at the thought of a fight happening.

"Well, that _asshole _started it!" Marlin angrily claimed.

Doug suddenly approached the four patrons, having just witnessed the end of the argument. "What seems to be the problem over here, folks?" He strictly inquired, looking back and forth between the two males, who were still glaring daggers at each other.

"Just a misunderstanding, Doug. I'm really sorry about all of this." Celia quickly apologized as she grabbed a firm hold of the Blacksmith's forearm and started quickly ushering them towards the exit. "Come on, Lumina! We're leaving _now_!" She then called over her shoulder, already hearing the sound of the other girl's hurried footsteps following after them.

* * *

Once outside, Celia practically dragged Gray almost to the Clinic before he finally shrugged out of her grasp. "Just rip my arm off why don't you?" He irritably scoffed while rubbing his slightly sore arm.

"Sorry," She quickly apologized, but then sternly frowned. "You shouldn't have provoked him like that! He has a bad temper, you know."

He frowned as well. "Well, so do _I_." He smartly retorted. "He shouldn't have pissed me off to begin with, so it's _douche-bag's _fault!"

She faced him with her hands upon her hips, looking agitated. "That sounds really immature, Gray." She stated while exaggerating a sigh. "We almost got kicked out, for Goddess's sake! Doug would've probably banned us from ever stepping foot onto his property again if you two had started fighting!"

"So you're saying that it's all _my _fault then?" Gray accused, looking slightly hurt for a moment before glaring in anger. "Well, _sorry _for trying to _defend _myself! I guess next time I'll just _quietly _sit there and let your stupid _boyfriend _insult me then!"

Celia glared as she angrily balled her hands into fists. "He's _not _my boyfriend, you _asshole_! How dare you even say that?!" She angrily seethed, having never felt so angry and upset in all her life. "And I never said it _was _your fault either!"

"Well you're sure as hell making it _sound _like it is!" He shot back as his cheeks started turning red from anger. When he received no immediate response from the brunette farmer, he quickly turned and started marching away. "Whatever! I'm out of here!" He then smartly mumbled.

Breathing heavily from anger, Celia just blankly stared ahead, trying desperately to hold back the tears that had suddenly gathered within her tormented eyes. At the moment, she was feeling such a strong mixture of anger and guilt that it made her want to run after Gray and embrace him, yet punch him in the face at the same time.

Lumina, who had witnessed the entire argument from a safe distance, hesitantly approached her sister-like friend. "C-Celia?" She meekly stuttered, placing a small hand upon the older woman's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Celia let out a shaky sigh as she turned towards her friend, while wiping away a stray tear that had escaped down her cheek. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She quietly reassured, forcing a small smile upon her face. "I'm really sorry about all of this."

"Don't apologize! It's not _your _fault!" Lumina protested in concern. "It's those two _idiots _who can't behave themselves!"

Celia let out a dry chuckle. "But _I'm _the cause of it all…" She sourly trailed off.

Lumina snorted. "No you're not!" She stubbornly stated. After a moment of not receiving a response, she plastered a huge smile upon her face. "Well anyway," She happily started, as if none of the dramatic arguments ever took place. "Let's get going, shall we? I want to see your house and all of your animals! Then I want to hear _all _about what you've been doing since you moved here! And I mean _everything_, too! We have some _major _catching up to do, you know?"

A genuine smile slowly spread upon Celia's face as she started helping the younger girl with picking up all of her luggage. "You're right." She quietly agreed, mentally pushing all of the bothersome thoughts out of her head for now as she started leading the way out of town.


	10. Fun In The Sun

**Chapter 10: "Fun In The Sun"**

* * *

_Summer 14..._

"This looks like a good spot!" Karen exclaimed as she dropped her beach bag down onto the sand and started pulling out an oversized colorful towel to lay out on. Meanwhile, Ann and Lumina propped their lounge chairs nearby underneath the large beach umbrella that had already been placed since the summer season started.

Deciding to work on her tan a little more, Celia spread her beach towel down next to Karen's. Reaching into her bag, she then pulled out a bottle of suntan lotion and started lathering up her exposed skin.

"We're gonna throw the Frisbee around!" Lumina suddenly exclaimed nearby, bringing the farmer's attention up to the younger girl. She was dressed in a purple one-piece bathing suit. "Want to join us?"

Celia smiled and shook her head. "Maybe later." She replied, watching as the teenager grinned and then jogged over to where Ann was waiting, who was clad in a turquoise sport-bikini top and matching floral girl board shorts.

"Mind if I borrow your lotion? I forgot mine." Karen sheepishly asked from beside her, who was wearing a white tube-top style bikini and a matching thong-like bottom.

"Sure!" Celia replied, handing the bottle over to the blonde before taking a moment to look at the beautiful ocean scenery around her. It truly was a beautiful afternoon. It was hot, but not humid and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Sighing in contentment, she then plopped onto her back and closed her eyes, letting the sun fully warm her body. She still felt a little self-conscious and shy about wearing the green string-bikini that Karen had given her, for the fact that she never wore that type of bathing suit before. All she'd ever worn in the past were one-piece bathing suits, so she still wasn't used to showing so much skin yet. Although secretly, wearing the bikini _did _make her feel more womanly inside.

Listening to the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore and the seagulls cawing overhead, she sighed again, feeling totally relaxed for once. The past three days had been sort of a handful, not only in the emotional department, but with trying to keep up with her chores _and _entertain a hyper eighteen year old. Lumina had expressed how much she'd wanted to help her with her farm work, so she taught the girl how to properly take care of her animals and crops. Although clumsy at times, the teenager was determined to do a good job and was improving every day, especially with not dropping anymore of the eggs. Also then at night, the two would stay up late until nearly dawn and chat, which was the main reason why she herself felt so drained during the day.

And to top everything off, all she could think about was _Gray_. She hadn't seen or heard anything from him since their argument outside the Inn, and it was starting to worry her. Did he hate her now? Would he ever talk to her again? These plaguing questions constantly ran through her mind and made her heart and stomach ache.

'_I'll head to the Blacksmith Shop first thing in the morning and apologize to him.'_ She absentmindedly thought, flipping over and letting the sun warm her back now. Never the one to hold a grudge against someone for so long, she usually was the first to make amends anyway. Like her grandmother used to tell her, _**"Forgiveness is divine, so let bygones be bygones."**_

Hearing the sudden sound of a dog barking in the distance, she squinted open her eyes and spotted a brown colored puppy running down the beach, chasing after a pink rubber ball that had obviously been thrown. Looking past the pup, she saw Jack and Mary making their way towards a vacant umbrella nearby to sit under. _'The object of Gray's affection…'_ Her mind cruelly reminded, causing a little pang of hurt to course through her. _'I wonder if he still loves her?'_ She quickly shook her head. _'Oh, what's it matter anyway if he does or not? It's not like he likes _me_ or anything like that! We're just friends…'_ She then quietly sighed. _'Great. Now I feel even _more _depressed than I did before! Way to go, me!'_

"Hey guys!" Karen exclaimed as the couple set up their beach blanket and picnic basket awhile. "You two _actually _found the time for once to take a break from working? Has the world gone mad or what?"

Mary giggled. "Well, my mom and dad wanted to rearrange the book categories in the Library this weekend, so it's closed until Monday morning." She explained while reaching into the basket and then pulled out a container of fresh blueberries to snack on.

"Plus having Marlin around to help with the extra workload, I'm able to finish earlier than usual now!" Jack added, smiling. "He's a really good worker!"

Celia looked away and frowned. _'Somehow I find that _very _hard to believe.'_ She mentally objected, remembering how lazy he acted when she worked at his sister's farm. _'He probably just doesn't want Jack to fire him, giving him the excuse to stay in this village longer…' _She then realized, feeling annoyed.

"So how's your little farm going, Celia?" Mary suddenly questioned in curiosity.

Startled for a moment, she quickly sat up and faced the Librarian. "Really good actually," She beamed with a smile, unable to hide the pride within her tone. "The crops are doing well and so are my animals. I feel really blessed!" She then glanced down at the other girls' noticeably larger-looking belly. "How's your pregnancy going?" She then politely questioned.

Mary smiled. "Good," She plainly stated. "Although it's getting to be a little tiresome with carrying the extra weight around and eating all the time! But I'm due in the early Fall, so I don't have that much longer to go! I can't wait!"

Smiling down at his wife, Jack planted a quick kiss atop her head. "I'm gonna go play Frisbee with the girls," He replied, motioning over to Ann and Lumina, who were tossing the red disk back and forth to each other while laughing. "Plus were gonna teach Chief here how to catch it, right boy?" He then exclaimed, earning an excited bark from the puppy, who was happily wagging his little tail by the farmer's feet. He then took off in a light jog, with Chief in tow.

An awkward silence fell upon the three woman for a moment. Mary then lightly cleared her throat. "So Celia, I've heard that you and Gray are starting to get really close?" She quietly inquired as she absentmindedly started picking at the fuzz upon her blanket.

Celia's face instantly went aflame from surprise. "W-Who said that?" She stuttered while instantly casting her gaze to the sand in front of her. Meanwhile, Karen just sent the embarrassed farmer a questionable expression before shaking her head and then resumed with lying back down to sunbathe.

"Oh, my mother and her friends gossip a lot…" Mary trailed off, still not meeting anyone's expression and looking slightly uncomfortable as she shifted her sitting position. "S-So, is it true?" She then innocently asked.

"Well, sort of I guess…" She trailed off in embarrassment, unable to take her eyes off from the sand. "It's been awhile since we last talked though." She purposely chose not to explain about their little argument only a few days ago.

"Hmm…" Mary mumbled quietly to herself as she reached into her bag and pulled out a book to read, seeming nonchalant all of a sudden.

Feeling extremely awkward with the conversation, Celia quickly got up from off of her beach towel. "I'm gonna go jump the waves for awhile. I'll see you guys later." She then quickly announced as she started briskly making her way towards the water, not bothering waiting for a response from either girl.

Upon reaching the surf, she realized that the water's temperature felt relatively cool, despite how hot it was outside. _'Well the sooner I get in, the quicker I'll get used it.'_ She mentally reasoned as she started wading out farther into the water while jumping some of the bigger waves that came tumbling her way. A grin slowly formed upon her face. _'I forgot how much fun this is!' _She then mentally remarked, jumping another wave, completely forgetting about the awkward conversation only moments ago.

* * *

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this…" Gray sourly mumbled, grudgingly following behind Cliff as they made their way towards the beach. Both men were clad in just their swimming trunks. "I just got done working in a hot, stifling workshop and here you are, dragging me down to a hot, sandy beach! I'd rather get a cold shower and then relax in my air-conditioned room!"

Cliff frowned at his stubborn best friend's attitude. "Well, then go in the water if you want to stay cool." He plainly remarked, pointing ahead to the glistening, lapping ocean. "Besides, all you've been doing for the past few days is hanging out in your room! You need some fresh air, man!"

"Whatever." Gray mumbled in annoyance, wiping the sweat from off of his forehead before readjusting his hat.

Spotting Ann in the distance, Cliff turned to face the Blacksmith. "I'm heading over there," He stated, thumbing behind him towards the red head. "You coming?"

Gray shook his head. "I'm grabbing lunch first." He replied as he started heading towards the brightly colored snack shack. "Besides, I don't want to be there whenever you decide to make-out with your new girlfriend!" He then called over his shoulder, smirking in amusement, knowing that his best friend was probably embarrassed and red as hell by now. Cliff had told him the other day that he'd finally found the courage to ask Ann out, so now the two were dating. Even though he didn't really express it, he was really happy for them. They were good for each other. Cliff was a decent guy and Ann was a sweet girl.

Reaching the snack shack, he took a seat at one of the outside bar stools and propped his arms atop the wooden counter. "Hey Kai." He plainly greeted, earning a huge grin from the purple bandana-wearing cook.

"Hey buddy! I haven't seen much of you this Summer! Where've you been?" Kai cheerfully exclaimed as he carefully put away the glass cup he'd been drying off with a dish towel.

"Working…" Gray trailed off in a mumble. "Mind if I order a slice of pizza and some grape soda?"

"Coming right up, my friend!" Kai announced, getting to work on preparing the Blacksmith's order. "So anyway, I was down at the bar the other night and I overheard that you apparently almost got into a fight with that new guy… um, Marvin or something?" He then questioned as he placed the slice of pizza inside the oven to bake.

Gray snorted. "His name's _Marlin _and yeah, if it weren't for Doug being there, I would've whooped his worthless ass." He stated with an annoyed frown upon his face.

Placing the cup of grape soda down onto the counter, Kai glanced off to the side for a quick moment. "Well, speak of the devil…!" He then quietly informed, grinning mischievously.

Looking over, Gray saw none other than Marlin making his way onto the beach, carrying a tackle box and fishing pole with him. Both of them made eye contact and glared at one another until the slacker farmer walked past the snack shack and headed towards the pier.

Still grinning, Kai's eyes widened in shock. "Wow, you two really have it in for each other, huh?" He questioned as he retrieved the pizza from the oven and then placed it down next to the soda. "What the heck has you two wanting to tear each other's throats out for anyway?"

"The ignorant prick doesn't know when to shut his damn mouth up!" Gray scoffed, taking a bite of his pizza.

"It also wouldn't be because of a certain new lady farmer now could it?" Kai slyly asked in a know-it-all tone with a devilish smirk upon his tanned face. When the Blacksmith's annoyed and questionable expression shot up to him, he chuckled. "Rumors travel fast in a small town like this. You should know that by now!"

Gray looked away as his face started turning slightly pink. "Yeah well, people need to start minding their own business around here for a change!" He grumbled in annoyance.

Kai chuckled. "Well I do know one thing; ignoring the girl you like _isn't _going to win her over." He stated, then bluntly added, "Yeah, I heard all about _that _rumor, too."

Gray just shook his head and huffed a sigh, clearly annoyed and somewhat embarrassed.

"Just put your pride aside and go apologize already." The cook urged with a friendly smile. "Besides, she's right over there, all by herself…" He then pointed out towards the ocean.

Turning to look in the direction of where Kai was pointing to, Gray's breath suddenly hitched within his throat upon seeing the bikini-clad brunette out in the water, apparently jumping the waves. He then looked down, feeling the guilt starting to creep back into him, like the day when he childishly stormed away from their argument outside the Inn. He felt ashamed of his attitude that day, especially towards her. _'I have to talk to her.' _He mentally decided, taking a quick sip of his soda before laying a few gold pieces down onto the counter.

"Good luck, man!" Kai exclaimed, giving the thumbs-up sign.

"Thanks." Gray replied, smiling somewhat as he slid off the stool and then started making the trek across the beach.

* * *

After being knocked down by a surprisingly ginormous wave, Celia resurfaced from the water, all the while spluttering up sea water. _'Think I'll take a break for now…'_ She mentally stated, trying to ignore the burning sensation of having water up her nose. As she started wading closer to the shore, she spotted a familiar Blacksmith hesitantly approaching. Her heartbeat suddenly sped up and she started feeling nervous as she met him halfway upon the dry sand.

"Hey." He quietly greeted, meeting her eyes for a second before looking away.

She smiled shyly. "Hey." She replied back, taking a deep breath then sighing. "Listen Gray, I'm sorry about the other day. I didn't mean to get so smart with you and make it seem like I was taking Marlin's side."

Gray shook his head, then met her eyes. "You don't need to apologize for anything. _I _was the one who got smart with _you_. I'm really sorry, Celia." He sighed then mumbled, "I acted like a jealous jackass that day."

Celia's face instantly felt aflame. "Y-You were jealous?" She quietly stammered, feeling surprised yet happy inside.

His cheeks started turning red. "Sort of, yeah…" He mumbled in embarrassment, looking away as he pulled his hat lower to cover a little more of his face.

Celia nervously bit her lip, feeling her heart racing even more now. _'Does this mean that he likes me maybe?'_ She mentally wondered.

He looked up then and smiled shyly. "So… am I forgiven?" He then awkwardly asked, the blush still faint upon his cheeks.

"Hmm, let me think about it…" She playfully replied, crossing her arms over her chest and looking thoughtful for a moment. Feeling suddenly spontaneous, she then quickly reached up and grabbed his blue hat and took off running down the beach. "You're forgiven!" She then shouted over her shoulder, laughing in amusement.

Stunned for a moment, Gray blinked in surprise before taking off after her, all the while grinning. Since he was much faster, it didn't take long to catch up to her. When he did, he quickly grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulders, then started heading for the water.

Shrieking in surprise and excitement, Celia started laughing and tried to fruitlessly squirm out of his grasp. "Don't you _dare _drop me or else…!" She playfully threatened in between giggles, placing his hat backwards upon his head.

"Or else _what_?" He playfully mocked back before suddenly dumping her into the water.

Quickly scrambling back to the surface, she saw that Gray was starting to turn back for the shore. "Oh no you don't!" She playfully shouted as she suddenly leapt upon his back, causing them to both fall down into the water.

Not too far away in the distance sitting on the dock, Marlin watched the pair with jealous eyes as he clenched his hands in anger. Unable to watch the flirtatious display any longer, he angrily gathered his tackle box and fishing pole and started stomping back towards the Inn, all the while passing the quiet Librarian, who was pretending to read her book, but in fact staring at the playful couple as well with a stony expression upon her face…


	11. The Date

**Thanks everyone for all of your wonderful reviews! They make me happy and keep me enthusiastic with writing more chapters! Also, be sure to check my profile periodically for updates and poll questions! And also check out some of my other stories as well! _(I am working on some of them right this very minute and will soon be updating those stories as well!)_ Thanks and please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: "The Date"**

* * *

_Summer 20..._

"I really don't think farming's my thing. I like babysitting better." Lumina commented while chewing a mouthful of her breakfast, which consisted of fresh scrambled eggs and toast. "I mean with being a farmer, there's just _so _much to do! And you get all sweaty and stinky, too! _Plus_, your back gets sore!"

Standing nearby at the kitchen counter, Celia chuckled in amusement as she continued to stir the batter of corn bread mixture. "Well, what did you expect? Some magical fairy to do all the hard, laborious work while you just stand there and smile?" She inquired with a grin.

The teenager frowned. "No…" She mumbled with a pout. "But when I asked you about what working on a farm was like, you made it sound like it was fun and easy! But it's _not_!"

"Well, to _me _it's enjoyable," Celia replied honestly. "And although it's not easy, it's very rewarding at the end of a long, hard day."

"I guess I can see your point…" Lumina trailed off, thinking for a moment. "No offense, but I don't understand how you can do it all! _Especially _all by yourself, too!"

Celia just shrugged and chuckled as she glanced over at the wall clock. It was almost eight. "You'd better get going awhile or else you'll be late with meeting Pastor Carter and the kids over at the church." She remarked in all seriousness, hearing the sudden sound of the dining chair scrape against the floor as the teenager scurried to get ready. "And don't forget to take along those cookies you made! Knowing Stu and May, they'll be expecting their treats in hand the second they see you!" Hearing a mumbled response coming from what sounded like in the bathroom, she just quietly chuckled as she poured the batter into a loaf pan.

Suddenly, there was a knock upon the front door.

Having just emerged from the bathroom, wearing a clean pair of shorts and tank top, Lumina rushed to the door. "I'll get it!" She declared loudly, then peeked outside to see who it was. Giggling quietly to herself, she quickly faced her friend and then whispered in a teasing tone, "It's your _boyfriend_!"

Celia's face instantly went aflame as she turned back to the counter, feeling slightly embarrassed. A few days ago, she finally spilled her secret about liking the Blacksmith to the teenager, Ann and Karen. Despite the three woman promising not to say anything to anyone else, they still teased her from time to time about it.

Upon hearing the door open, she busied herself with placing the loaf pan within the oven, overhearing the two exchange a few words. _'I wonder why he's here?' _She curiously thought while quickly dumping the dirtied bowl and wooden spoon into the sink.

"I'll see you later, all right?" Lumina suddenly replied while retrieving the wrapped plate of cookies from inside the fridge. She then whispered, "Have fun!" before grinning and skipping out of the house.

Turning around, Celia found Gray standing awkwardly near the door, holding a worn-looking rucksack over his shoulder as he glanced around at all of the knickknacks and furniture. As she started walking towards him, his eyes immediately fell upon hers. "Hey stranger," She joked with a smile, still blushing slightly. "What brings you all the way up here to the mountains?"

Gray smiled. "I just got done digging down in the spring mine for ores and gems, and I decided to um… drop by and visit." He hesitantly replied, blushing slightly as he awkwardly shifted his hat. "Also, I wanted to ask you if I could clean up your basement so I can use that old faceting machine?"

She grinned. "Sure!" She happily exclaimed. "Lumina already tidied up everything down there a few days ago, so you don't have to worry about it!" Seeing the surprised look on his face, she giggled. "I told her that if she cleaned up the basement for me, that she would never again have to clean out the stalls in the barn and chicken coop."

He grinned. "That seemed like an easy compromise." He sarcastically joked.

An awkward moment of silence passed between the two.

Gray then softly cleared his throat. "Well, I guess I'll uh… get to work now?" He announced, reaching for the door handle.

"Yeah, me too. I need to water my crops before the sun hits its peak for today." Celia agreed, following him out the door.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

Feeling her stomach rumble with hunger, Celia quickly finished up placing the animal fodder in all of the stall's bins before briskly making her way to the house. _'I wonder if Gray's hungry, too?'_ She absentmindedly wondered, hesitating a moment at the top of the basement's steps before making her way down, all the while hearing the soft grinding sound of the faceting machine currently grinding a gemstone. Once she made it downstairs, she just stood and silently watched him work for a moment. His back was facing her slightly, but she could still see the side of his face, which was scrunched in determination and concentration as he worked. A swirl of emotions welled within her, but one really stood out from the rest at that moment: _pride_. She already knew that he was a good, hard worker and admired his ongoing ambition. His grandfather was wrong to accuse him of being lazy and unskilled. He was anything but those things. Saibara was either blind or else trying to make his grandson go on an anger rampage.

"Are you all right?" Gray's voice suddenly questioned in concern.

Jumping in surprise, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. She'd been so spaced out with her thoughts that she hadn't noticed or even heard that he'd shut off the machine a few seconds ago, having already sensed her presence. "Yeah, sorry about that! I didn't mean to bother you or anything, but I was just wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me? I'm super hungry and thought maybe you'd be too?" She quickly inquired in a rushed tone, nervously folding her hands in front of her work dress's apron as she shyly stared down at the concrete floor.

He grinned, looking rather happy and grateful. "Sure." He plainly replied. "I'll be up in a few minutes. Is that okay?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah." She answered, heading for the stairs. "I'll just whip up something really quick then!"

* * *

_About a half an hour later…_

Having just finished a half a loaf of corn bread, wild green herb salad and roasted corn-which Celia found out was Gray's absolute favorite thing in the world, the two were comfortably lounging at the table still. They had talked about many different things over lunch, but were now mutually quiet, just listening to the ticking of the wall clock and the birds chirping outside as their stomachs continued to settle.

Gray suddenly stretched before slowly getting up out of his chair. "Thanks for everything, Celia. You're a really good cook, too." He complimented with a genuine smile, heading for the door.

She blushed. "I'm not as skilled as Ann, but thank you." She humbly replied, blushing as she also got up out of her chair and followed him outside. "Well, I guess I'll see you next weekend, right? Same day, same time?"

He silently nodded, while tugging down his hat a bit and glancing away from her. He then hesitated for a moment before quickly clearing his throat. "Um, I was uh wondering…" He trailed off in a nervous mumble, then blurted out, "…Would you like to go to the Fireworks Festival with me?"

Celia blinked in surprise upon hearing the unexpected question as her heartbeat suddenly sped up. "S-Sure, I'd love to go with you." She quietly stuttered, shyly smiling as her cheeks turned even redder.

Gray smiled as well, looking quite happy and also a little relieved. "Cool." He quietly stated, looking just as red in the face as the farmer. "Do you want to meet at the square around six then?" He then asked.

She nodded. "Okay." She quietly replied, still smiling. "Well, I guess I'll see you later then…?"

He nodded back, smiling still as well. "Later…" He replied as he started walking back towards town.

* * *

_A few days later…_

It was finally Summer 24, the night of the Fireworks Festival, and Celia had been feeling nothing but a nervous wreck all day. All she kept thinking about was her _date _with Gray tonight. _'It _is _an official date, right?'_ She mentally questioned herself for the hundredth time that day as Lumina continued to apply a little bit of mascara to her eyelashes. _'I mean, it _is _a romantic tradition here in the village to watch the fireworks with someone of the opposite sex…So does that mean he likes me just as much as I like him then?'_

Lumina exaggerated a sigh. "If you don't stop fidgeting, I'm going to accidentally smear mascara all over your cheek!" She remarked in annoyance. "Now stay still!"

Celia sighed, trying to desperately calm her nerves down. "Sorry…" She mumbled. "I just can't help it though! I'm so nervous about tonight! I mean, am I even _dressed _properly for the occasion?" She then hesitantly glanced down at her attire, which consisted of an eggshell colored short-sleeved summer blouse, an emerald green knee-length gypsy skirt and white flip flops. She also wore emerald earrings to match her dress and left her hair down for the evening.

"Of course you are!" The teenager protested with a frown. "Now stop worrying or else you're gonna throw up on Gray when he tries to kiss you later!"

"Lumina!" The farmer whined in embarrassment, feeling her cheeks slowly warm at the thought of Gray kissing her. Shaking the mental picture aside for now, she stubbornly crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted. "Besides, how do _you _know he's even going to kiss me in the first place? Maybe he only thinks of me as a friend!"

Lumina rolled her eyes. "Oh please!" She exclaimed with a mischievous grin plastered upon her face. "The way he's always looking at you and the fact that he turns red whenever you smile at him is enough evidence to prove my point!" She giggled for a second, then continued. "I may not know much about dating and stuff like that yet, but trust me when I say that Gray _totally _wants you!"

"Okay, are you done with the whole make-up thing now because we've got to get going." Celia quickly mumbled in annoyance, purposely changing the topic as the teenager laughed in delight.

Doing a last-minute clothing and make-up check, the two women exited the house and started heading into town.

* * *

The evening sky was slightly dark by the time the two women approached the empty square.

"Do you want me to wait with you until he gets here?" Lumina questioned in concern as she kept glancing around the vacant area.

Celia shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. You go on ahead and have fun with the kids." She remarked with a smile, watching as the teenager skipped off down the short flight of steps that led down to the beach. Letting out a sigh to relax her jittery nerves, she leaned forward up against the stone wall that bordered the beach and stared out at the now darkish-looking water. She then gazed up at the clear night sky, admiring all of the twinkling stars that shone that evening.

Several minutes passed.

'_Did he forget about tonight?'_ She thought in worry, forcing a smile upon her face as she waved to a few passing villagers that were heading down to the beach. _'Maybe he changed his mind…?' _Her stomach felt like it was twisted into knots upon thinking that last thought as the church bells started ringing, signaling that it was now exactly six o'clock.

Another couple of minutes passed. By now, most of the villagers had arrived at the beach, waiting for the upcoming fireworks to start, and yet still no sign of Gray. Feeling mostly anxious and slightly disappointed on the inside, she softly sighed in a depressing manner. _'What should I do?'_ She mentally debated, wondering if she should just attend the festival all by herself or just go back home awhile. She could feel tears starting to prick at her eyes, but quickly shook her head and sighed again, trying to calm herself down. She didn't want to embarrass herself if someone happened to walk by and see her in such a distressed state.

"Sorry I'm late…" A familiar voice suddenly apologetically spoke from behind the farmer, causing her to jump and turn around in surprise. "Gray…?" She softly questioned in confusion, staring at the Blacksmith with wide, surprised eyes. He was dressed in a dark plaid button-up short-sleeved shirt, jeans and black boots. And for once, wasn't wearing his hat. "I-I didn't think you were coming…" She meekly commented, looking away and softly biting her lower lip.

He ran a hand through his wavy hair and sighed, looking ashamed. "I really didn't mean to be late. I was working all afternoon and lost track of time. I'm so sorry, Celia." He apologized in a sincere tone, looking away in guilt. "I'll understand if you want to call things off for tonight…" He then quietly added.

She shook her head, then offered a small smile. "No, it's okay." She politely reassured. "But don't let it happen again, Mister!" She then quickly joked, trying to lighten the awkward mood between them.

He chuckled and smiled, looking relieved. "I promise." He replied as he stuffed his hands into his jeans' pockets and then looked towards the beach. "Ready to go watch some fireworks?" He then asked, offering his left arm out to her.

"Sure!" She enthusiastically replied with a grin as she looped her right arm with his and started walking along with him. All of her earlier feelings were now suddenly replaced with a fluttery mixture of nervousness and excitement.

As the couple made their way along the beach, several of the villagers greeted them with either warm smiles or baffled expressions, wondering what the two of them were doing there together. But neither of the two secretly cared what anybody thought, for the fact that both of them were too preoccupied with their own nervous thoughts and feelings at the current moment.

"Look, there's a spot over there we can sit at?" Celia suggested as she pointed towards the end of the dock, which was surprisingly vacant. The two of them then wordlessly made their way over and plopped down at the end of the wooden dock, letting their feet dangle over the edge. In the distance behind them, they could faintly hear the sounds of Lumina and the kids laughing as they chased fireflies while some of the villagers talked with each other.

"You look really beautiful tonight." Gray suddenly softly commented, fidgeting nervously as he purposely avoided looking anywhere but the sky, but then quickly added, "Not that you don't look beautiful any other time, because you _do_! It's just…" Letting the words awkwardly trail off, he just scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

She smiled, blushing in the process. "Thank you." She shyly replied as she nervously fiddled with her hands upon her lap. "You look really handsome as well. Not just tonight, but always…" She then looked over and noticed that he had suddenly looked over at her as well with a surprised look upon his face. But it quickly vanished into a shy smile instead. Just as he was about to say something, the sudden loud _'boom!' _of a firework exploding high up in they sky caused both of them to jump.

Laughing at each other in embarrassment, they both then continued to watch as more colorful fireworks lit up the sky.

* * *

About a half an hour later, Mayor Thomas officially deemed the summer Fireworks Festival over. As the villagers bade their goodbyes to each other for the night, Gray helped Celia up from off of the dock before they started heading back towards the square.

"Isn't Lumina gonna wait for you?" Gray curiously inquired, watching as the teenager, along with Stu and May, walked alongside Lillia, Rick and Popuri, heading to their home.

"No," Celia replied, waving back to the little group as they yelled _'goodnight!' _to them. "She and the kids are staying over at Barley's tonight."

"Oh…" He quietly trailed off as the back of his hand lightly brushed against hers by accident. "Do you… mind if I walk you home, then?" He then hesitantly asked as he nervously clasped their hands together.

She blushed, feeling as if her stomach was doing giddy flip-flops inside. "Okay…" She quietly trailed off, bravely entwining her fingers through his, feeling his warm hand grip hers a little more confidently as they continued to walk.

After what seemed like only a few short minutes, the couple finally reached Celia's house, having made small talk along the walk there.

"I had a really good time with you tonight, Gray." Celia shyly admitted with a smile, turning to face him as they still held hands.

He smiled as well. "Me too." He shyly admitted as his expression suddenly became determined and nervous.

Gazing up into his now half-lidded eyes, Celia couldn't help the rush of emotions that swept through her as he slowly tilted his head down towards hers as she slowly, instinctively tilted her head up towards his. It was as if they mentally knew what each other was thinking and wanted. Their lips softly met for a short, sweet kiss, quickly followed by another. Her head was delightfully spinning as their lips met yet again for a more loving, lingering kiss. His warm tongue then lightly traced her bottom lip, as if silently asking for permission, to which she complied too. He held her firmly against his rugged body as she instinctively pulled him down closer to her, deepening the kiss as she unconsciously ran her fingertips tenderly through his hair. She almost sighed in delight from smelling his addictive, manly scent of fresh pine and something else that she couldn't quite think of at the moment. Even the way he _tasted _was highly addicting! They broke apart for a split-second before his lips came crashing down against hers again, going into yet another deep and passionate kiss, letting their tongues continuing to dance against one another.

After what felt like infinity, but in reality only a few short minutes, the panting couple slowly pulled only slightly apart from one another, just so they could get air back into their lungs. They both shyly smiled as they lovingly stared into each other's eyes, both heavily flushed in the face as they held each other closely.

"Celia…" Gray softly murmured, still looking somewhat dazed as he continued to gaze into her eyes. "Will you be with me?"

She smiled, feeling so happy inside that she felt like she was going to burst. "Yes…!" She quietly proclaimed, quickly wrapping her arms up around his neck and pulling him down for a passionate kiss, to which he happily complied to. There was so much that she wanted to tell him at that moment, but decided to live in the moment for now and just continued to happily kiss him instead.

After a few more minutes of their little make-out celebration, the two then bade each other good-night, promising to see each other again on Saturday. Once Celia was safely inside her home, Gray started heading back into town.

What the couple never noticed however was that Marlin had been secretly watching them the whole time, hiding nearby within the shadowy, darkened forest. His expression was contorted with a mixture of jealously, hurt, and mostly hatred. _'That no-good bastard!' _He mentally seethed as his fists shook with rage. _'Celia's _mine_! He doesn't deserve her!' _

An idea suddenly popped into his mind, causing him to smile wickedly. _'This isn't over yet!' _He mentally proclaimed, slipping out of the shadows and then calmly making his way back towards town, all the while humming a happy, eerie tune.


End file.
